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A Hero's Blessing: Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2024-01-01 07:46:06 +0000 UTC“Lower thine right hand, and raise thine right hand.”
“That feels unnatural though?”
“Only for now. Thou shalt get used to it with practice.”
Zoe watched as Bianca adjusted her position before giving an approving nod. “There. That is sufficient.”
The blessing of Artemis helped one with archery, but that was no excuse for lack of practice.
The group was taking another much-needed break from driving. As much as Zoe disliked the delay, the chance to stretch their muscles was greatly appreciated.
“Thou must hold the bow and place thyself almost parallel to the direction thou are shooting in.” Zoe continued by demonstrating the stance herself. “Do not hold thine breath - instead, release the arrow with thy breath.”
Bianca carefully mimicked her stance before letting loose an arrow directly into the center of the target.
“Excellent.” Zoe nodded encouragingly. “Practice like that for the rest of the time.”
Bianca nodded as Zoe took several steps back and observed.
Normally, they would have at least one more huntress. Two seniors to one junior. This allowed for a proper transfer of knowledge to the younger generation while ensuring the safety of the younger. Alas, circumstances prevented that this time, but she would make due.
The others were similarly taking advantage of the break. The satyr was stretching his muscles, while Alcides was sparring with Percy this time.
And Thalia…
Zoe lifted a brow in faint surprise.
Thalia was walking up to her.
She hadn’t talked much with the daughter of Zeus since they had left camp, and Thalia certainly hadn’t gone out of her way to talk to her.
Thalia made her way beside the Huntress. “Zoe,” she greeted.
Zoe tilted her head. “Thalia. I am surprised thou art not watching thine ‘brother’.” She noted with some amusement.
“Haha, very funny.” The statement earned her a glare before Thalia glanced instinctively towards the current spar. “I decided to spare the Seaweed Brain the humiliation of a public defeat.”
“How generous of thee.” Zoe noted dryly.
Thalia rolled her eyes at her tone. “Yeah, well, don’t worry. When it’s your turn to spar with him, I’ll make sure to pay super close attention, just for you.”
“I’m afraid thou shall be waiting a while.” Zoe replied calmly. “I hardly feel the need to challenge him.”
Thalia smirked. “What, afraid to be shown up by a man?”
“In melee, he wouldst defeat me with ease.” Zoe easily admitted, to Thalia's surprise.
“Wow, giving credit to a male. Who are you and what have you done with Zoe Nightshade?” Thalia mocked, hands on her hips.
Zoe gave Thalia a stern look. “Mine issue with males hardly stems from their strength.” Her tone becoming testy.
Unlike Thalia, she was perfectly aware of when to pick her battles. And Alcides?
Alcides was dangerous.
She could see it in the way the man held himself, the way he moved. Unlike most demigods who coasted on their natural abilities, Alcides was a warrior. One that had spent his entire life fighting, and was very very good at what he did.
If they were in a forest with sufficient distance between them? Mayhaps. But in a straight melee?
She was not so foolish.
Thalia scoffed, but seemed to back off. “I’ll admit, you’ve treated them better than I thought you would.” She admitted reluctantly. “Him and Percy.”
Zoe shot her a look, and Thalia rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, you said Percy’s a member of the party now, whatever. But I’d have thought you’d put up more of a fuss after your refusal for him to join initially.”
“He hardly left a good impression. Especially during our match, before the Oracle interrupted.” Zoe replied archly before looking at her pointedly. “Nor did thee. But I was hardly allowed to choose only huntresses. Thus, sacrifices must be made.”
“Hey -“
“Wouldst thou deny it?” Zoe asked with a lift of her brow, and while Thalia scowled she didn’t argue further. “Regardless, while I dislike males, I am able to work with them. Percy should consider himself fortunate - some of Huntresses have scars that run deep. Had any of them been with us, I would have forced Percy back to camp.”
When push came to shove, her huntresses - her family - would come first every time.
Thalia hummed slightly. “And Alcides?” She asked curiously.
Zoe grimaced. “Alcides is… Useful.” She admitted eventually.
Thalia stared at her for a second before snickering. “‘Useful’” she echoed. “Well damn, if that’s not high praise I don’t know what is!”
Zoe narrowed her eyes at the suddenly mirthful girl, but didn’t bother expounding.
It was hard to explain her feelings towards the adult demigod. She was extremely grateful for his help - of course she was. If not for him, their progress would have been lessened dramatically, and his oath went a long way to ensuring his loyalty.
Zoe sighed, shaking her head.
The issue was there were a great many red flags surrounding the male. And she had to constantly weigh them against how much she trusted him.
His name was an… Aggravating reminder from her past, but one she could ignore.
The fact that he didn’t know what an oath of the Styx meant was just baffling, and indicative of a lack of formal training (which was at odds with his abilities).
That he was unknown despite his obvious skill and claims to have gone on multiple quests in his youth was questionable.
The fact that he had a truck despite not knowing how to drive…
Not that she was averse to using that last one by not enlightening him on the existence of speed limits - a bit of Mist kept any cops from realizing just how fast they were going.
But the most damning?
Zoe massaged her temples in an attempt to stem the headache that was growing.
He was a son of Zeus.
Zoe had no idea how the others hadn’t realized. Sure, he was suppressing his presence, but beyond that he wasn’t hiding it! He even asked Thalia to call him brother!
For him to exist and not have become the child of prophecy, Zoe suspected some sort of shenanigans. The Lotus Casino came to mind, but there were others. So many others.
Yet while that might answer some questions, it brought up many more.
But was she willing to risk losing his help by asking?
No.
At least he was tolerable.
So long as he made no move against her party, Zoe would refrain. After they saved Artemis, she’d report her findings and decide an appropriate action from there.
Zoe and Thalia watched as Percy tried to manipulate Alcides to get close to a stream, only for Alcides to twist away at the last moment, giving a booming laugh as a small push caused Percy to land in the stream instead.
The Son of Poseidon used the boost from the water to surge forward…
And suddenly, Alcides' entire demeanor changed, his head snapping to the road as he blocked and held Percy’s strike effortlessly.
Zoe found herself tensing instinctively as well, looking towards where Alcides was facing, only to let out several select curses.
“Company.” She called out tersely, getting everybody else’s attention.
It was a white limousine, showing about as much restraint driving as Alcides.
What was worse was that she recognized the blasted vehicle.
Now was not the time to get embroiled in one of the love goddesses' little dramas.
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The vehicle stopped right next to them. Zoe was preparing herself for Aphrodite, but would admit she wasn’t too surprised to see Ares instead.
What did take her by surprise was the sword Area immediately had under Percy’s chin.
Everybody tensed and drew their weapons, each aimed at the god who looked unperturbed at being their target.
The god of war smirked. “Not so fast now, are you punk?”
“Ares,” Percy growled, but didn’t dare move.
Before they could say anything else, Alcides was suddenly in between them, a loud clang ringing out as he knocked the sword aside with an enormous ax he hadn’t had a moment prior, his large size forcing Percy back.
Zoe nearly had a heart attack then and there.
Despite his aggressiveness, Lord Ares was unlikely to harm a demigod. There were rules against that. Especially when that demigod was a part of a quest.
But if a god were challenged? Let alone the god of war?! Many restrictions were removed.
For a moment, Zoe honestly expected a fight to break out. Ares' mere presence inspired conflict, and after such an aggressive move she expected either Alcides or Ares to follow up.
Instead, Alcides just leaned back into a ready stance, ax shifting effortlessly in his hands, and stared at the god impassively.
Ares, for his part, simply raised a brow. “Well now, what have we got here?” He looked at Alcides in bemusement, taking him in. “Who are you supposed to be?”
For a moment, Alcides didn’t respond. He stared impassively at the god. “Alcides.” The demigod responded shortly.
“That so?” Ares’ smile grew. “Been a while since I’ve come across somebody that’s paid as much tribute to me before. You… You’ve walked through war. No,” he corrected himself absently, his gaze becoming more fascinated, “you’ve been in massacres.”
Everybody but Zoe gave a startled look towards Alcides at that, yet the large man looked unperturbed at the accusation.
“But I don’t understand.” Ares murmured in genuine bafflement as he actually removed his sunglasses, revealing hollow sockets filled with flame that scanned the large demigod. “Why don’t I know ya?”
“One of life’s great mysteries I’m sure.” Alcides stated flatly.
“Lord Ares.” Zoe spoke up, doing her best to keep her tone polite yet firm. “Is there a purpose for thine presence here?”
The pricks of fire glanced at her for a moment. “Eh? Oh, yeah. Somebody wants to talk to the punk.” He thumbed towards Percy, his eyes sliding back to Alcides.
“Who’s ‘somebody’?” Thalia demanded.
Ares snorted. “Huh. heard you were back. Thalia, daughter of Zeus...”
Zoe watched as Thalia glanced at Alcides, as if seeing how he’d react to that information, but the large man didn’t react at all.
“You’re hanging out in mixed company these days, you know?” Ares continued.
“Oh whatsoever shall I do without your approval.” Thalia drawled sarcastically. “So who's in the car and why does she want to speak with us?”
Zoe grimaced. She could already tell who was in the car - the color and Ares' presence was a dead giveaway. Yet the knowledge did not bring her any comfort.
Ares smirked at her, clearly aware of her discomfort. “Nah, just Perce here, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not them.” He jutted his chin towards Zoe and Bianca.
That was fine. Zoe had zero desire to meet her as well.
Still…
“We will not leave him alone with thee, Lord Ares.” Zoe said.
“As she said.” Alcides backed her up as he folded his arms, muscles bulging. “If Percy doesn’t want to, then he won’t.”
Ares smirked, “Too bad that ain’t up to you to decide, is it?” Looking pointedly at Percy.
They all looked at Percy, who met Ares' gaze defiantly. “Go on.” Percy spoke up, attempting to sound confident and failing. “I’ll handle this.”
“Are you sure?” Alcides rumbled, never taking his gaze off of Ares. “You are allowed to say no. I will not let them take that choice from you.”
Ares snorted. “Won’t let us, eh?” He chuckled with predatory anticipation while flexing his power slightly.
The air seemed to heat up, and Zoe hissed as she felt the increased effects of Ares' presence. The anger that wasn’t hers, the irrational urge to fight, to break something... The desire grew, yet it was buried with practiced effort.
Said power seemed to measure up against Alcides and stop, as if he were a mountain beating back the tide, not a change in his expression.
The pressure continued to mount between the two, and Zoe found herself fingering her knives as she was sure a fight was about to break out.
“No, it’s fine.” Percy insisted, stepping forward. “I can do it.”
The tension broke, the god of war leaning back with a small chuckle. “See? He’a a big boy now, he doesn’t need a babysitter.” Ares put his glasses back on before opening the limousine door. “Now c’mon. Only take a few minutes.”
Zoe watched in silent frustration as Percy moved into the vehicle.
She did NOT approve of Percy seeing the goddess of love on his own. Male or female, she didn’t care, she wouldn’t have approved of ANYBODY to see her on their own - especially while on such an important quest - yet it was his choice to make.
And meanwhile, they were out here waiting with the god of war.
Who was once more staring at Alcides.
Nobody said anything for a full minute, the silence growing increasingly awkward before Ares decided to break it.
“I don’t get it.” Ares frowned, folding his arms as he leaned back against the limo. “Which one was it? Which war? Not anything in the Middle East. Nor that tiff with the drug cartels…”
Alcides shrugged. “It was a while ago.” He replied dismissively. “Not something that matters anymore.”
Ares glared. “Hey now, I’m serious.” He growled. “There’s no way somebody like you is nameless. They musta been chanting your name on the battlefield.”
Alcides met his glare with a calm. “If you say so.”
“I do.” Ares insisted, and Zoe realized with a start that this was actually bothering the war god. “I know every war humanity’s ever contributed to. Every bloody conflict’s got my name in it. I make note when guys stand out, and I reward well. So why don’t I know you?!”
Alcides shrugged. “I must not have done that well.” He suggested casually. “Obeyed some orders, disobeyed some orders. Annoyed my superiors. Pretty average overall.”
Ares glare deepened, clearly unconvinced. “You know, I’m being nice and all. I’m not allowed to mess with this lot too much,” He waved his hand at the group. “But the same doesn’t extend to you.”
Alcides grunted. “Most unfortunate.”
“Yup. So now would be a great time to start talking.”
“I’m not sure what to tell you.”
“Some answers would be a good start.”
“I don’t have any good ones to give.”
“Then let’s hear some bad ones!”
Ok, this was going too far.
“Lord Ares.” Zoe interrupted forcefully. “Alcides has been of great assistance to us on this quest. To punish him wouldst be detrimental to the quest at large, one which Lord Zeus would be most displeased with.”
Ares turned his glare on her, but Zoe held firm.
This was more than a simple quest. Artemis was hunting a creature on the orders of Zeus, one that could have devastating consequences for Olympus.
Ares might want to fight, but the war god wasn’t foolish enough to allow the enemy such an advantage when a fight was already guaranteed.
“Tsk.” Ares returned his glare back to Alcides. “Guess you’re safe for now then. Got yourself a little ‘guardian huntress’.”
Alcides didn’t acknowledge Ares' sneer, but gave Zoe a small nod of thanks, never taking his eyes off of Ares.
The remaining time was incredibly tense. The moment Percy came out of the car, Ares was clearly in a foul mood, shoving him away from the limo.
“Alright kiddies, break times over.” Ares called out. “And Alcides, or whatever your name is, I’ll be keeping in touch.”
There was a whirlwind of red dust around the limousine. When it finally cleared, the car was gone.
Zoe turned to Percy to ask what Aphrodite wanted with him, but Alcides beat her to it. Before anybody else could react, he was in front of Percy.
“Are you alright?” Alcides demanded, large hands holding Percy’s face as he turned it this way and that, taking a moment to stare at his eyes. “How are your thoughts? Blurry at all? Can you remember the quest? What we were talking about an hour ago? The names of the last three crushes you’ve had?”
“W-what?” Percy looked absolutely bewildered at the sudden onslaught of questions, “I mean, my thoughts are fine, I think? Of course I remember our quest, what? And why would you ask about that?!”
“Are you sure?” The giant man looked unconvinced. “Your eyes seem fine…” he murmured before spinning him around towards Grover. “Tell me about the Satyr.” He ordered.
“G-Grover?” Percy looked absolutely confused at this point. “We’ve known each other for years, met him at school, and he guided me to camp half blood?”
“Her?” He spun Percy around towards Thalia. At this point they were all staring at Alcides in confusion, but Zoe recognized what he was doing.
“Uh, Thalia, Annabeth’s friend, spent several years as a plant before being revived this past year?”
“Hmmmm…” Without warning, Alcides was ripping Percy’s shirt off and started inspecting his body
“W-what are you doing?!” Percy yelled out, cheeks burning as he tried and failed to get his shirt back.
“He is verifying thy thoughts and actions remain thine own.” Zoe informed him, though he was being far more paranoid about it than she expected.
“What?”
“You just spent time, by yourself, with one of the most dangerous gods on Olympus.” Alcides informed him grimly, never halting his inspection. “She might have left a mark or something through which she can manipulate you later.”
Thalia scoffed. “You consider Aphrodite to be the most dangerous?” She asked skeptically while smirking in amusement at Percy’s embarrassment.
Bianca coughed, “Well, she is a goddess, right?”
Thalia rolled her eyes, “I mean, yeah. But she’s not the only one. And she’s Aphrodite!”
“Yes.” Alcides answered seriously, taking her aback. After a moment, he seemed to realize she was waiting for an explanation and finally paused his examination and gave a heavy sigh. “While none of the gods could be called ‘weak’, it’s true that Aphrodite would probably place on the lesser end of the scale.” He admitted reluctantly. “However, while the other gods are strong, she could make you kill your own family with a smile on your face. And you would thank her for it after.”
Zoe nodded seriously even as the others blanched. “He speaks truth.” She confirmed calmly. “It hath been years since she has done such so flagrantly, but she has.”
Aphrodite’s antics were well known. Thankfully, the gods had put their foot down a couple centuries prior and forced her to restrict herself after she nearly caused a war between pantheons.
Yet that only stopped Aphrodite from being overt with her powers. She could still be subtle if she got bored.
“Ok, well, she didn't even touch me!” Percy finally snapped, managing to yank his shirt back. He was about to put it back on when he saw Alcides eyeing his pants. “Oh no you don’t!” He panicked, backing up desperately. “Look, she just talked a little! That’s it!”
“What did she say?” Zoe asked before Alcides could, the large man glancing at where the limo drove away with suspicion.
“Ah,” he blushed. “She said we’re on track to enter Hephaestus’ junkyard, and that cutting through it is our fastest bet. And that we shouldn’t touch anything while we’re in there.”
The entire party stared at Percy for a second.
“That’s it?” Thalia asked skeptically.
“Nay, the goddess of love would not come this way just to say that.” Zoe folded her arms and gave Percy a look. “Be careful Percy. The Goddess of Love has led many heroes astray.”
She saw him flinch slightly, his cheeks reddening before glancing quickly at Grover.
Aphrodite enjoyed love stories. If she wanted to talk to Percy, that meant she considered him a ‘main character’. And naturally, a love story required a love interest. Most likely Aphrodite talked to him about a crush of his, which would explain his reluctance.
That, in and of itself, didn’t bother Zoe (beyond the fact that Percy was being stupid in not revealing the topic of Aphrodites interest).
What bothered her was what Aphrodite would do to ensure a good story.
After all, what kind of story would it be without some sort of conflict?
“So, that means we’re driving around the junkyard, yes?” Alcides spoke up, nodding his head as if it were already determined.
“Huh?” Grover looked at Alcides in confusion. “But Percy just told us that Aphrodite said going through the junkyard was faster.”
“Exactly.” Alcides agreed, walking over to the truck to toss his ax in the back. “Key words there are ‘Aphrodite said’. Also, it wasn’t an order, which gives you some leeway.”
Thalia gave him a concerned look. “You’re really paranoid about the gods, aren’t you?”
Alcides huffed. “You might have noticed, but the gods have this habit of taking an unhealthy interest in people’s lives.”
“Then why did Ares not recognize you?” Bianca asked suddenly, looking bothered. “You said you’d gone on quests before and done… Stuff. But wouldn’t Ares have recognized you?”
Alcides went quiet, frowning at the question. “There’s… A reason for that.” He finally admitted with a sigh after mulling it over for a couple minutes. “But it’s difficult to explain. Ask me again when this quest is over, and I’ll tell you.”
Thalia leaned over with an interested look. “Must be pretty good if you managed to avoid the gods all this time.”
Actually, both Thalia and Percy looked interested in that. Which was probably natural. As children of the Big Three, they were probably worried about the attention they had received over the years.
“So, I get that that’s interesting, but we do need to figure out where to go right now.” Grover interrupted, giving a worried look.
Alcides shrugged and leaned back. “This is your quest - I can recommend, but I will follow your lead.”
“Well, according to Aphrodite, so long as we don’t touch anything in the junkyard, we should be good.” Percy pointed out.
“But is the risk worth it?” Bianca asked worriedly. “What sort of stuff is even in a gods junkyard? Trash that should be recycled but was thrown away instead? Leftover ambrosia that went bad in the fridge?”
They all turned towards Zoe, who rolled her eyes. Still, she took a moment to consider the question. “Anything that Lord Hephaestus would consider a failure.” She replied. “Not that it doesn’t work, nay - I recall him bemoaning once how he attempted to make a device that wouldst age wine. Instead, he created a time dilation field. But since it was not what he desired, he did not like it.”
“Ok, so a bunch of random and potentially volatile items.” Thalia concluded grimly.
“Indeed.” Zoe agreed.
“Well, we’ve been making pretty good time.” Thalia pointed out. “How much time would we lose if we went around?”
Zoe grimaced. “I am uncertain.” She admitted reluctantly. “There is also the peril that Aphrodite might put something in our path shouldst we attempt to bypass her ‘recommendation’.”
They stood in silence for a moment before Percy spoke up. “Well, we’re not getting anything done just by standing around. I think that so long as we’re careful, we should be able to make it through the junkyard just fine.”
Grover did one of his nature spells, tossing the acorns and observing the positioning before standing worriedly. “I think the junkyard will be fine.”
Thalia glanced at Alcides apologetically before shrugging. “I don’t like the thought of losing time. We’re already on a pretty strict deadline. Let’s go through it.”
Bianca bit her lip nervously and eyed Zoe, clearly going to follow her lead.
Zoe sighed and rubbed her temples. To go around, or through? In truth, she would rather go around. The thought of following one of Aphrodite's suggestions without Artemis’ protections left her feeling vulnerable in a way that she hated.
But Thalia made a very good point. And in truth, if Aphrodite was truly invested in getting some entertainment out of this, then going around would do nothing but irritate her.
“We go through the junkyard then.” Zoe stated with confidence she didn’t feel.
Better they walk in and be aware that it was a trap then have something take them by surprise later.
Alcides simply nodded, and within moments they were on their way to Hephaestus’ Junkyard.
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Author’s Note
In spite of a nail: a trope often seen in fanfiction depicting an alternate timeline of sorts, where despite changes made, certain events remain the same.
I'm thinking about adding another small section at the end of this showing Apollo as he continues to investigate Alcides at Camp Half-Blood. I'm worried because this will be a pretty short chapter - but it honestly felt alright to end it here. Next chapter we'll make it through the entirety of the junkyard, and probably a little after. If I'm right, the ending of it should introduce Hebe.
Comments
Matthew Hanks
So, it probably won't come up, but my current headcanon is it was the Egyption Pantheon Aphrodite almost caused a war with. And yeah, the junkyard. I mean, we know that it's going to come out ok, but still... On the upside, Herakles is going to show off another Noble Phantasm :) Anyways, I'm glad you liked it!
Adam Costello
Oh yeah, be wary of Aphrodite. She's done stuff. Subtle. What pantheon did she almost cause to clash with the greens? Lol Your last three crushes. He took off Percy shirt to look for Mark, but he won't take Percy pants lol yeah, Ares is suspicious now. He knows what but not Alcides. Ugh, I to the junkyard. Time dilation? Makes sense, wine is grapes aged. Another great piece of work.
