Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Malcolm Tent
The Celestial Demigod
Chapter 05: Library
– Adon –
It turns out, turning monsters into weapons is… well, not necessarily a bad thing, but an unexpected thing. Annabeth told on me, the little snitch, and the revelation that the Minotaur of legend was permanently slain and turned into an axe causes a bit of a stir. Athena didn't seem that surprised, but at this point, I think she's given up on being surprised by anything I do. It'll take something truly impressive to get more than a raised eyebrow and a sigh from Auntie Athena now. Honestly, she seemed more intrigued by the potential of eliminating problematic monsters and turning them into usable assets.
She examined the weapon and admitted that it was very good. Not quite the quality of something that Hephaestus himself would make, but better than anything his kids could pull out of their asses. She theorised that the origin, strength and legend of the monster all play a part in what weapon my power would make. I theorised that she was probably right because I don't know how this shit works. It's magic, you kill a monster, you get a weapon. Why make it any more complicated than that?
"You've caused one hell of a stir, newbie," a voice drawls, with just a hint of an asian accent mixed in with a bratty tone.
"Hey, Drew!" I say cheerfully. She was one of the people on our team during the capture the flag match, and helped us get Clarisse under control because she's the second best in the Cabin with Charmspeak. Well, third best now because I'm just too good. Turns out being both a Loki and Aphrodite spawn makes you really fucking good even without the Veela or system fuckery. "I barely did anything this time."
Drew is as hot as you'd expect an Aphrodite Demigod, clearly of asian decent and always so glamorous compared to the rest of the camp. Silena doesn't really dress up that much compared to Drew. I get the feeling the two really don't get along.
"Of course not, you've just kicked the Hephaestus Cabin in the balls by making a weapon better than anything they could make even with their Daddy's favour. Oh, while taking lessons from Orpheus himself in how to play the Lyre of Apollo you just happen to have," Drew drawls with a laugh.
"Ouch, are they that mad?" I ask with a grin.
"Less mad and more offended at the implication. You lit a fire under their asses, but that cabin has never been particularly impressive. I don't know why Silena bothers with Chucky, she could do so much better," Drew snorts, sitting next to me. "It's the Ares kids you've really pissed off, because they've all heard you slew the Minotaur of Crete and got a divine axe out of it. Plus, they already kinda hated you for beating them. Bunch of sore losers."
"Honestly, they took that way too seriously. It's just a game, right?" I point out with a lazy smile.
"Right. More or less. Demigods are prideful, you know?" Drew points out, kicking her feet as she goes quiet for a moment, her eyes landing on the mansion that now resides behind the Aphrodite cabin. "Silena is trying to play diplomat, using the silver tongue we all have to play peacemaker. Not that the Ares kids listen to her. She's having a hard enough time getting the other Aphrodite campers not to cause a stir. When she isn't sulking about Luke being a potato."
"I did get the feeling our siblings didn't exactly like me," I agree with a shrug. Well, you can't be liked by everyone.
"They don't dislike you, they're jealous of you. Admittedly, you really aren't helping, but even before you pulled all those tricks out of your pretty little ass, they were jealous because Mommy dearest clearly has a favourite child. You still sparkle sometimes after her claiming, and her light has never lasted that long before," Drew explains. "Doesn't stop them from spending half their time in your tea-house, eating your sweets and drinking your drinks."
"I figured it might help make them a little less jealous," I admit.
"Lemme guess, Silena? Sounds like her. It's not working. Now you have a bunch of jealous siblings throwing a hissy fit while helping themselves to your stuff. You're making yourself a pushover, Adon, when you could overthrow Silena if you wanted to," Drew scolds. "I won't deny, I'm jealous of you too, but I at least have more pride than to suckle at your golden teat while bitching about you between gulps."
"That's some imagery," I praise, getting a grin from her. "Luckily for Silena, I am deathly adverse to leadership. It scares and confuses me. I can barely be trusted to be responsible for myself, let alone other people," I say with an almost proud grin. She snorts, amused at my honesty.
"Fair. Maybe you got double the ADHD from having double the- wait, triple the divine parents? Man, you're weird," Drew admits.
"I know, cool right? And that would explain a few things," I admit with a shrug.
"Doesn't mean you should let our two-faced siblings keep benefiting from you while talking shit with every other breath," Drew continues. "You're way too strong to let a bunch of whiners walk all over you like that."
"Oh? And what would you do?" I ask, curious as she pauses and her face scrunches up in thought for a moment.
"I'd run that shit like a business. I don't know if you've noticed, but the options for cuisine and entertainment around here aren't exactly thriving. Hell, the main reason Luke was so popular is because he could sneak out and smuggle shit in. Your teashop is a reprieve from the, admittedly not bad, usual fare. Letting your friends use it is one thing, but letting the entire cabin swarm the place while they talk shit behind your back is just asking for trouble," Drew points out.
"Ugh, running it like a business seems like so much effort," I groan. "I don't wanna do that, I just wanna fuck around with my cool powers, and maybe find some monsters to turn into weapons."
100cp granted, 100cp total.
Feat Achieved: Defeat Asterius, 200cp granted. 300cp total.
Well, that's a bit delayed, but whatever. You do you, magic words in my head.
"You okay there, Adon? You kinda zoned out," Drew points out with a frown.
"My powers doing stuff again," I explain easily, seeing her eyes widen.
[Wondrous Memory] - 100cp, 200cp remaining
Was this meadow torn from time itself by the 5th Magic? If it even is a meadow. It could be a woodland glen, a garden, even a seaside incongruously found somewhere behind a Bounded Field (or past an ornate blue door in your Warehouse). Whatever it is, it's a natural environment the size of the average mountainside forest with a stark beauty and the pristine state of the wild as it was before the advent of mankind. Even if you are wholly human, being here is soothing to your mind and soul. There's plenty of game and fresh water here, but no predators. To a wild beast, it's practically Heaven.
"Adon, what is that blue door?" Drew asks, as my mansion, tea shop and library vanish and are replaced with an ornate blue door.
"It's the entrance to my pocket dimension. Wanna see?" I ask, opening it and peering inside at the wild forest that spreads out before us. "I figured you're right, so I moved my stuff into this place, and only I can open the door."
"I… uhh, didn't think you'd act on it quite so instantly," Drew admits, twirling her hair in what I think is a nervous tick. I summon Pukei and unleash him into the wilderness, watching my big dumb pet run around excitedly. I'm glad he's having fun.
"My power agreed with you," I say simply, shrugging.
[Field of Demeter] - 200cp, 0cp remaining
The goddess of the harvest, her role was taken over by Hera after the death of her precious Persephone, yet this field stands as a monument to her divine role of the past. Measuring around one hundred acres, it is capable of greatly accelerating the growth of any plant, such that an olive would go from seed to full-grown tree overnight, as well as holding them in stasis until harvested or removed. Additionally, any magical plants growing here are twice as potent as before.
"Hmm. Hey, Drew. Demeter is a nice Goddess, right? Understanding? Not curse-happy?" I ask curiously, seeing her eyes widen in fright.
"Err, well, you didn't kidnap her daughter, so-" Drew gulps, biting her lip as she looks at the massive field that has just appeared. A big forest of wilderness on one side, a massive field of divine fertility on the other. My mansion, library and tea house in the middle. Yeah, it rules to be me.
"Exactly, I didn't kidnap anyone's daughter, so I'm perfectly fine-"
Feat Achieved: Get Demeter's Attention, 200cp remaining. 200cp total.
"I can see why Aphrodite's latest antics have Olympus up in arms," a soft voice says, as I remember a simple thing. Gods can hear their names and while only I can open the door… I left it open when we came in.
As we turn, my eyes land on an undeniable, undisputable… Milf. Dressed in a form fitting green dress that hugs her motherly curves, she has a soft face and beautiful blonde hair (the best hair colour) as she looks from me and Drew to the expansive fields. I manage to take my eyes off some huge… tracts of land myself before she turns back, tilting her head.
[Sword of the Silver Crystal] - 200cp, 0cp
This pale, white silver sword glimmers as if it's illuminated in moonlight. This is a powerful anti-evil weapon. When this sword is used to pierce someone with evil or selfish intent, it can slice through their magical defences like a hot knife through butter. In addition, it's tough, tougher than diamond.
"I do hope that's not meant for me," Demeter points out as I look down at the sword in my hands.
"Sorry, my power kinda does whatever it wants," I reply, banishing the blade. "So, no hard feelings? Pretty please? I have a lot of Gods already out for my blood, I'd really appreciate not adding you to the list, Lady Demeter."
Drew bows her head, looking lost and just a little terrified as Demeter laughs quietly.
"Oh, don't look so afraid. I have no desire to join the war waging between Aunt Aphrodite and Lord Zeus," Demeter assures me with a soft look. I guess we got her on a good day? Maybe Persephone is visiting? "I merely heard my name and given that the speaker was the one who recently caused my nephew Apollo to blow himself up, I thought it would be in my best interest to see why my name was on your lips. I must say, this is… impressive."
As she speaks, she reaches into her dress and extracts a single seed, dropping it to the ground on the blessed fields. In an instant, an apple tree sprouts up and grows until it looks like it's been there for centuries, with fruits that are ripe and ready for harvest.
"So, we're cool? I really didn't mean to yoink your powers," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. I don't know why, but I feel like being less of a pain for her than I am for Athena.
"Hmm, interesting choice of words. This both is and is not my power. It is, without a doubt blessed by a Goddess of the Harvest, a Demeter, but it is not mine. I can see why Apollo is so confused of late," Demeter explains. "But we are not quite cool, as you put it. Most hope to be rather the opposite when I am involved, anyway."
"Heh, nice," I praise, before shaking my head and focusing. "So, uhh… how do I not get smited? Please don't ask me to master another instrument in a week; my schedule is kinda filled up at the moment."
"Yes, I imagine that it is," Demeter agrees with what looks like amusement on her face. "No, I have no interest in giving you a quest, and certainly not one as nonsensical as that. He truly is sulking," she says, rolling her eyes. "But perhaps an agreement can be made, instead. I would like… ten acres of this field. To be studied by myself and used by my demigod children. In exchange, I will take no offence to anything your power pulls out, regardless of its origin or powers."
"That's it? You could have fifty for all I care, I'm not a farmer. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with a hundred acres of fields," I admit with a lazy shrug. "Look at my hands, they're too soft and pretty to work the fields!"
"A true child of Aphrodite," Demeter praises. At least, I think that was supposed to be praise. I'm taking it as praise either way. "Ten acres is all I wish for, and the permission to enter this plane to examine my acres whenever I see fit, of course."
"Eh, I'll leave the door open. It's not like I have much to steal that I can't summon at will anyway," I agree easily.
Wait a minute. The Gods aren't supposed to spend time with their demigod offspring, but Demeter has made it clear she intends to be here at least semi-frequently while her demigod kids work those acres. Did someone say loopholes?
"As the child of two Gods of Trickery, respect Mrs D," I say with a nod. She raises an eyebrow for just a moment before the shadow of a smirk crosses her lips.
"I have no idea what you could mean, Adon," Demeter replies simply as he raises her hands, a large thick garden hedge growing around what I believe is exactly ten acres of the fields.
"I don't suppose your kids are for hire? I figure I might as well not waste the insane power of these fields but I both don't know how to, and don't want to, work them myself. If we grow some cool fruits or shit, we could split the profits," I offer, seeing her pause.
"Speak with Katie Gardner, the head of my Cabin. I am sure she would be amicable to such a deal, given that I will be speaking with her myself about my acres anyway," Demeter suggests. "You could also talk to Castor, the head of Lord Dionysus' cabin, I suppose. His children are not as talented as mine, but they possess similar skills."
"Will do, and I'll be sure to offer up some of the harvest to you. We're supposed to do that, right?" I ask.
"It is customary to give an offering to the Gods, yes. I must say, you are more respectful than I expected from Athena's… reports," Demeter says in amusement. Why do I hear the word 'complaining' when she says reports?
"Eh, I'm trying not to make more enemies than I already have," I admit shamelessly. "If my power is going to keep copying the other Gods' powers, I'd rather not piss off the ones who seem kinda reasonable."
"A fair point," Demeter admits. "I shall return, child of Aphrodite."
And like that, she's gone. And look, no curses, threats, impossible quests! Aren't I just the most diplomatic man ever? Sure, she was just using me to get around the limited contact rule of Olympus but still!
Feat Achieved: Make a pact with Demeter, 200cp granted. 200cp total.
"Holy shit," Drew whispers, letting out a breath she'd been holding onto for dear life.
"Holy, yes, but she didn't shit. Huh, if she's the Goddess of Fertility, then does that mean that fertiliser is literally holy shit?" I ask, scratching my chin in thought.
"I- yeah, you definitely have triple ADHD. Probably ADHD squared from Eris and Loki," Drew sighs, running a hand through her hair.
"It's a legitimate question!" I counter, arms crossed.
[Chronomancer] - 200cp, 0cp remaining
Time is an illusion, and you're a master of illusions. You can manipulate time freely within a small radius of yourself. This allows you to do things such as rewind time for a few minutes, slow it down, speed it up and several other such tricks. Keep in mind that the more you try to do with time, the greater the strain. Jumping backwards a few seconds to avoid a critical hit? Easy as pie. Trudging back a whole half-hour, because you absolutely need to correct a horrible mistake after the fact? Expect to need bed rest afterwards.
Kronos still has my back! Surely Gramps won't mind me having the power to play with time itself. Well, even if he does he's stuck in Tartarus apparently so he can kiss my whole ass.
…this would really freak out Athena. Like sooo much.
"Hey, Drew. I gotta go tell Lady Athena something real quick, but I need to talk to you later," I say, giving her a thumbs up as I run off to tell Athena that I got time magic. Surely, she'll take it well after the Kronos revelation.
– Later –
Feat Achieved: Freak out Zeus, 200cp. Drive Athena into paranoia, 100cp. 300cp granted. 300cp total.
Heheheheh.
[Mystical Library] - 300cp, 0cp remaining
It would seem Heinz Meissner is not the only wizard to own such a library. Somewhere in the Empire is a building, either owned directly by yourself or held by another in your name. Within this building is hosted a library stocked with all sorts of accessible (if often obscure) texts concerning magical history and theory, as well as more mundane philosophy, theology, and history. Especially prominent are those books detailing the history of magic among the Empire's human populace before the arrival of Teclis and his traditions. As this library follows you, such publicly accessible works of history, philosophy, and religion from new destinations will find their way into this library as well. These will draw scholars from far and wide, who would happily pay you a small fee to stay overnight in the upstairs rooms or take a small meal while they increase their knowledge. However, there is another library of importance in this building. In the basement, entrance to which can only be granted by a password of your devising, exists a space for you to contain tomes of forbidden lore, lest they fall into the wrong hands. Already, you have acquired dark grimoires detailing the ways and means of the servants of Chaos and the foul undead for such safekeeping. Fortunately, the protective enchantments on the basement prevent such tomes from corrupting those you trust with the knowledge of their existence and location. If knowledge is power, it falls to you to guard it well.
"…why do I keep getting libraries? I don't even like reading," I mumble, looking at the new building, now combined with my other library. I'm getting quite the small settlement here. Well, I can sell access to the nerd cabin, so it's fine.
Shaking my head, I focus on what I'm doing.
"Don't worry, Master. This is literally my old job, just with a different coat of paint," Senko reassures me as she finishes setting up the last of the main twelve shrines. Look, I can't avoid the Gods; they've had a spotlight on my ass since day one, but Demeter has shown me that I can get away with working with them as long as I'm not a dumbass. A mythical challenge, I know, but I'm a son of Loki, I'm silver-tongued as shit.
So, if I'm going to have to deal with some pouty bitch gods, why not make sure I have more Gods on my side by kissing the right asses? Demeter mentioned a war between Mom and Zappy McDickhead, and if I can nudge some of them over to Mom's side, I'm less likely to end up super dead.
And I did literally get a Shrine Maiden Youkai follower, so why not set up a shrine room?
Firstly, I make an offering to Mom. [Forbidden Treasures (Lesser)] lets me get some weird shit on a metaphysical level, and with it I acquired something with Drew's advice. The broken heart of a despairing prince. Not his literal heart, but the emotions and shit all caught in a bottle. Offering it up at the shrine as thanks for her hard work protecting me, it vanishes, and I pause. I guess that worked?
Feat achieved: Make a successful offering for the first time (she loved it), 100cp granted.
Hell yeah.
"Master, Lady Annabeth is asking for permission to go into the library again," Senko says as I consider my next move.
"What? Oh yeah, go for it," I grunt, stroking my chin as I go over the mountain of weird-ass things I've gotten my hands on.
Next, I do something funny. See, [Specialist's Hammer] lets me improve items by using it and rare or special materials, adding different effects to existing items without needing to do any fancy enchanting or reforging. So, I take a bronze shield I… uhh, borrowed from Clarisse and work my magic. Literally, I place the material on the top of it and bonk it once, job done, just like magic.
I placed the fires of an ancient dragon into the shield, and now it makes the wielder immune to fire while also blasting anyone who hits it with fire. Then, I move over to Hepetitus C's shrine and make my offering.
"Oh, Lord of Smiths. If I give you some cool materials, will you stop being so pissy about things? It's not my fault my mom cheated on you," I chant, sending the shield through. Wait, no, that's not what I meant to say.
"Who are you calling pissy, boy?" a gruff voice asks, making me spin around in a panic and toss whatever was in my hand at the large, muscular and admittedly misshapen man dressed in a grimy, oil-stained jumpsuit behind me. As the endless frosts of Fimbulwinter hit him in the chest, he stares at me with a look that can best be described as 'unimpressed'.
"Okay, but you've gotta admit that you only don't like me because my Mom gets around. And it's not like you don't have a Cabin yourself, so it's not like you've been faithful-"
"Shush," Hephaestus says with a deep sigh, a scowl on his face. "What the hell is all this stuff?"
"I don't know, cool shit my power gives me. I figure it could make some great stuff in the hands of someone who can do more than just bonk things with a hammer, but I'm only sharing if you agree to not be a dick," I say, arms crossed.
Sometimes, I wonder how many times I was dropped on my head as a baby.
"You're either very brave or incredibly stupid, Adon," Hephaestus eventually decides, and I pause for a moment.
"A bit of both, I think," I admit. "That wasn't a no!"
"It wasn't," Hephaestus finally admits, stroking his beard with a big meaty hand. "I don't like you."
"Yeah, I got that much," I agree.
He goes to respond, before he pauses again and looks at the shield I sent him. He examines it from every angle, his scowl staying in place. I get the feeling he'd be happier if he found flaws in my 'work', but finally he lowers it with a grunt.
"This is… passable work," Hephaestus admits, the words sounding pained. "And these materials are… well, frankly impossible. They are impressive, more so than your work. That hammer is an insult to my craft, but I am not against a deal with you, boy. You've done no more for me than the other Aphrodite brats. Frankly, how pissed off Ares is at you is reason enough for me to almost like you."
"Yeah, he's probably a lost cause," I agree with a shrug, which gets a snort out of him. It's not a glare or a curse, so I'll take it as a step in the right direction.
After a moment, he speaks again as he asks if I have a specific material or something related to it. I don't know why he wants something with strong ties to the winds but I don't really care as I produce a bottled typhoon. It may be called 'Forbidden Treasures (Lesser)' but this thing really has some cool stuff. I'm almost scared to know what the non-lesser variant of this would be.
Borrowing my hammer, he works the typhoon into a sword he summoned, letting out a disgusted noise at how easy it worked, before tossing the hammer back to me like it's a venomous snake.
"I may request another material, depending on what project I'm working on," Hephaestus finally admits, looking almost disappointed that whatever he was trying to do worked. I think he'd have preferred that it failed so he could punish me or shut down my offer of neutrality. "I won't support Lord Zeus' desire to see you put down as long as you do not cross me. Don't expect me to support you, brat."
"Hey, neutrality is great when it comes to Gods," I agree happily.
"...and I'm keeping this," Hephaestus continues, lifting up the bottle of endless winter I tossed at him. "We'll call it an offering because if not, it was an attack."
"I was going to offer it up next, but since you came in person, I thought it'd be easier to just deliver it to you directly," I agree instantly. It's not like it cost me anything, and I can get an infinite amount more.
"For an Aphrodite brat, you aren't terrible," Hephaestus praises, and that was definitely praise this time.
"Thanks! And for a God, you're surprisingly reasonable," I reply. He goes to respond, before snorting as he vanishes. I really should close the big blue door of dimensional mischief when I'm doing things like this so they can't just turn up at my house.
Feat Achieved: Achieve neutrality with Hephaestus, 100cp granted. 200cp total.
Neutral is better than him wanting to ruin my pretty face.
…and yet, I can't help but get the feeling I'm forgetting something. Ah well, it can't be important.
Feat Achieved: Get Annabeth Chase addicted to forbidden knowledge, 100cp granted. 300cp total.
Ooooh, right.
Eh, it's fine. All the really dangerous books are down in the basement behind the password… which I never set.
Hmm.
Look, she's an Athena kid. She was already addicted to forbidden knowledge, she just didn't know it yet. Besides, she's one of the smarty cabin, she's clever enough to not read books that glow with malicious light or are written on human skin, right?
You know what, I think I should make an offering to my favourite Goddess of all, and maybe give her a little hint about maybe checking up on her daughter. This is what we in the business call 'delegation' because I'm not trying to pry Annabeth out of there. Girls can be scary.
Now, where was that bottle of insight?
– Later –
So, good news and bad news.
Annabeth has been rescued from the basement, which now has a proper password. Thankfully, my power stopped the very corruptive magic from actually corrupting her mind, but it was better safe than sorry. She's now in the safe part of the library, where there aren't any evil books that will eat your soul.
Downside, Athena is now in the basement of my library, and she won't come out. She took one look at the books and called Hecate, and the pair have been shut in there ever since. She told me not to read the books down there without asking her first, but joke's on her, I don't read unless I have to. I'm not doing homework, fuck off with that shit.
Feat Achieved: Confuse Hecate, 100cp granted, 400cp total.
Instead, I've been working on my master plan.
I like adventures, but I have no interest in questing. I'm not going to run around because the Gods said to do this or that, unless it's my parents and even then they better have some good incentive for me to act as their lackey.
But, I'm getting all this cool questing stuff. The medicines, the materials to make all kinds of magical items, the endless tomes of knowledge on every subject and shit. So, why do the questing when I can be the merchant that sells the hero their stuff!
[Living Towers] - 400cp, 0cp remaining
The Living Towers are another addition to your pocket dimension, where you will find three towers. The first changes every hour, the other every day, and the last every week, with each one increasing in length and difficulty. Each floor of the tower will take you to an arena of some sort, where you will face an opponent, possibly with special conditions active. These places and opponents are drawn from both this world and the worlds you've visited, but the only thing you can gain from the Living Towers is the reward you get for completing the top floor- a large surplus of golden Koins. In addition, you will learn much quicker in these towers, making training a breeze, and being killed will merely place you back in your pocket dimension, unharmed.
See? I don't want to go into the towers of being beaten to death. That sounds painful. But I'm sure the Ares kids would love this shit.
It doesn't matter if the hero gets all the treasures if they end up selling them to the friendly merchant anyway! Drew was onto something. I should run this as a business. Only, I don't know the first thing about business and don't want to run a business either.
So, what's a guy to do?
Finishing my song to the cheers of my audience, I grin at the gathered monsters who came to see me perform. As I said, same time, same place.
"Thank you, thank you," I bow playfully, dismissing the Lyre as my performance has ended for the night. "Now, quick question. Are any of you girls looking for employment?"
— Bonus Scene — Gunilla
It was always going to be a child of Loki that caused such chaos.
She'd long since learnt that the children of the trickster were as untrustworthy as their father. As such, she was honoured to be chosen as the Valkyrie to serve as his watcher.
"I'm sure you understand how… unusual this situation is," Chiron admitted, stroking his chin as she nodded.
"Were it not for Loki's machinations, our two worlds would have remained apart but we both know that's simply not an answer anymore with Loki and Eris working together," Gunilla agreed, her hand resting on her hammer.
"Indeed. The campers are not unused to visitors, as we get Lady Artemis' huntresses visiting on a regular basis, but I doubt I need to tell you that the idea of a Valkyrie in Camp Halfblood has caused quite the stir," Chiron explained easily. "But, Olympus has agreed to Lord Odin's request, and you are most welcome here, child of Thor."
"My thanks. So, how much trouble has the trickster's son caused already?" Gunilla asked plainly, watching as Chiron paused before he sighed and began to speak.
It took seconds for Gunilla to confirm what she already suspected, that Adon was a problem child.
Chiron spoke for almost an hour.