Today was Cecilia's sixteenth birthday, a special occasion in every girl's life. Her mother had requested that she go out of the house for a while, and of course, Cecilia had obliged. It was the same routine every year, she left the house, went on a jog, and came back to a cake on the table and a few presents. Although this was the same thing that happened every year, Cecilia couldn't help but be excited. So with a kick in her step, she walked outside and plugged in her earphones, ready to go around the block a few times.
That was how Cecilia's day had started, full of fun and excitement. If someone had said 'You're going to be hunted by a creature that's out to kill you' Cecilia would have laughed it off and continued on her way. It was only now, as she ran through the streets of her neighborhood, screaming bloody murder, that she realized laughing probably would have been the wrong thing to do.
Chasing after her was a dog, and not just a normal dog that she could turn around and scold, if only life was that simple. Behind Cecilia was a sleek black beast-she swore it was the size of a car-with glowing red eyes and yellowing fangs. It snarled at her, and Cecilia was sure that whatever she had done to irritate it wouldn't be forgiven anytime soon. She screamed for help, but people just gave her strange looks, and kept walking. She was desperate, and she knew she had to get home. Turning around would be a death sentence, so she sharply ran into an alleyway, planning to use the back alleys as an escape route.
Aiden let out a loud, drawn-out sigh as he strolled down the street at a lesiurely pace. What a drag today had turned out to be, with the whole retrieval mission going ass up before he even had a chance to begin. Instead, Aiden had watched his target take off down an alley that was just ahead and stared straight at the large beast bearing down on her heels. His sigh finished, Aiden shoved the small box he had been holding in his pocket before taking off to head down a different alley. Aiming to cut the girl off before the beast managed to catch up to her.
Sprinting as hard as he could, the boy managed to make it to the end of his alley before she broke out of hers. Waiting for the girl to come out of her respective alley so he could grab her. The red-haired boy cast a breif glance at the gauntlet running all the way up his right arm.
"Didn't think I would have to use you today." He said softly. She'd arrive soon, he could hear her coming.
Cecilia's legs were beginning to cramp, and she wasn't even halfway home. The beast snapped at her feet, making her yelp in fear and try her hardest to take longer strides. She couldn't look back, because she knew if she did she would faint and become mincemeat. Tears streamed from her eyes, there was no way she could beat this thing. She should have taken notes when they had gone on an overnight field trip for school, but she had thought the wilderness defense lesson was dumb.
If I make it out of this, God, I swear to pay attention in class.Cecilia was about to give up, and accept her cursed fate, when she realized that if she did, her mother would have to live with the fact that she had sent her daughter on a death trip. With this motivation, and the thought of her mother being alone, she carried on with a new fire in her. All she had to do was run, as hard as that was at this point. What a story she would have for her mother.
Yeah mom, I outran a giant black dog. It's probably still outside, and I think it wants to eat me. this thought made her chuckle through her exhaustion.
As the girl broke out of the alleyway, Aiden allowed time to slow around himself breifly watching as everybody slowed while he stepped out and grabbed the girl around her waist. Spinning them back around so they were near his former spot, Aiden allowed Time to resume its flow, breathing heavy from the use. He looked at the girl breifly before saying
"We can talk later. Right now, we run." He says sternly before turning and taking off back down the alley he had run down seconds ago, his hand now closed around hers. Meanwhile a thunderous roar could be heard from behind them as the beast discovered its prey was missing.
During the run, Aiden pulled the girl to the right and down another alley before they eventually emerged into the sunlight. Studying her, he said softly
"Are you hurt? Did the hellhound get you at all?" waiting for her to respond as he kept an ear out. It surely wouldn't be long before the Hellhound found them here.
Cecilia felt time slow, and it wasn't just a figure of speech. Her movements became sluggish, her tears crawled down her cheeks at a snail crawl. When she finally managed to gaze down, she saw that her legs were stretched taunt, but hardly moving. She was in misstep when a sudden arm appeared in the corner of her vision, and she was pulled away at lightning speed. When time went back to normal, she was in the boy's arm. For a split second, she caught her breath, exhaustion taking over. She was about to start asking questions, when he grabbed her hand and started running again.
She didn't pull away, because if she did she was sure that her legs would stop moving altogether. Ignoring his questions, she decided to ask a few of her own.
"Who are you? Why can you see this thing? What's a hell hound?!" she wanted to stop, but she already knew the hell hound was close behind. Who was this boy, and why did he know what that thing was?
"My name is Aiden, I can see it because I am special like you, and what you saw is a hellhound. Massive beasts, like the taste of our flesh. Fun things, really. Anyways, I'll explain more once we reach camp. However, I suggest you stay behind me over the few moments. Our old friend won't be far behind." The boy said as he spun around and his gauntlet on his arm suddenly morphed into the massive scythe he had started to grow familar with.
Holding the weapon downwards so the long, curved blade was nearly touching the ground. Glaring back down the alleyway at the large, growling shape moving towards them.
"Oh, this is not going to be fun." He said softly and stepped back, eye locked straight on the beast as it began to sprint forward.
"Here we go."Cecilia opened her mouth to ask him to elaborate, but she shut it just as fast. He had taken a gauntlet on his wrist and transformed it into a giant scythe, all the while the hell hound rushed towards them at an astonishing rate. If they weren't about to die, she was sure she would have asked him about the amazing tech on his arm. Surprisingly enough, Aiden held firm in front of the beast, and since he seemed experienced she stayed behind him despite her better judgement. If She fled, he would die alone, after all.
"We're going to die, you're going to get us killed." she whispered, clutching his shirt and waiting for the impact of the beast.
"Let go of me for now, I can take it." He said as he reached back and pulled her hand away. Then the boy took two quick steps forward, jumping up to land on a dumpster before jumping once more, spinning through the air and letting his scythe strike the beast that thundered beneath him. Unfortunately, Aiden hadn't guessed his jump correctly and barely scratched the beast beneath him.
As the Hellhound roared in pain, it spun to lash out a strike towards the boy in the air. Seconds later Aiden found himself slammed against the brick wall of the alley, scratches across his chest starting to bleed. Shakily getting to his feet, the boy let out a soft moan of pain before raising his scythe in a visicious arc, catching the beast's hindquarters and causing it to stumble slightly.
Cecilia had been bravely hiding behind a stack of boxes, watching the battle with piqued interested. She saw Aiden get injured, blood dripping slowly from a wound on his chest. In her neighborhood she had seen plenty of people getting roughed up on the way home from school, and she knew that if anyone suffered an injury, even a minor one like that, the blood loss would cause them to pass out. If Aiden was going to win, and save them from being eaten, he would have to do it fast.
Fighting back the bile that was rising up her throat, Cecilia stood up from behind her hiding spot. Glancing at Aiden, she closed her eyes and raised her hands above her head, to become a bigger target.
"I just want you to know that I'm killing myself for you!" she shouted, before throwing some first grade level taunts at the hell hound. The beast turned towards her, obviously appreciating the unarmed snack. It gave a quick roar and batted it's giant paw at her, claws out. Cecilia would have moved away, if her eyes hadn't been closed, but unfortunately for her, she had no chance to avoid the blow. The claws struck her side, and she was thrown into the wall with a
thud.
The girl was either brave, or extremely stupid. As she was slammed against the wall, Aiden growled and surged forward. With a mighty slice from his weapon, the boy cleaved the Hellhound clear in half. The beast exploding into gold dust, never having a chance to react as it had been focused on the girl in front of it. Stumbling forward, the boy fell to a knee as his scythe changed back into a gauntlet. He held a hand up to his wound and grumbled briefly, looking over at the girl before pulling a small pouch from his pocket. He pulled a small piece of an odd, crumbling substance from the mouth and popped it in his mouth. Chewing thoughtfully for a second before pulling some more out. offering it to the girl.
"Eat some of this, it'll help your wounds."With a displeased grumble, Cecilia reached out a hand to take the food. She had no idea how it would help, because it just looked like a lemon bar, but she also had no idea how a gauntlet could transform into a scythe. At this point, anything could happen. When she bit into the bar, it was like nothing she had ever tasted before. She couldn't describe the flavor, or the texture, but the next thing she knew the throbbing in her side started to dull.
"What is this stuff? Are you some sort of guardian angel?" She couldn't believe what she was asking, but honestly it wouldn't have been the craziest thing that had happened today. With only minor soreness, she picked herself up off the floor, and began to dust herself off.
"Thank you for the help, and the food...stuff. I should really be heading home though, my mother is probably worried sick, and the cake is done by now." she held out a hand, waiting for him to shake it.
With a small half-smile the boy began to answer all of her questions.
"A Guardian Angel? I apologize to disappoint, I'm merely your friendly neighborhood Demi-Titan. That stuff you ate was Ambrosia, the food of the Gods. Only reason you aren't burning up is becuase you're Half-God." He said, a friendly tone in his voice as he waited for the inevitable confusion from the girl over what he had mentioned. Though a sadder experession covered his features shortly after as he had to answer the her last part. Though not a question, it needed to be answered.
"Unfortunately, I was actually sent to take you to a safer place than your home. You see, whenever people like us turn of age, we emit a... scent. It attracts monsters like that Hellhound, there is a safe place however, where we can grow stronger in order to defend ourselves. Also, your mother is aware of this."Cecilia looked into his eye, focusing on the one that was covered with an eyepatch. She listened intently as he explained everything to her, a finger curiously stroking her chin. When he was done, she cracked a smile and began laughing. She laughed so hard tears welled up in her eyes, and she doubled over, unable to catch her breath. Who did this kid think he was? Gods don't exist, and titans obviously didn't either. When she was finally able to catch her breath, she straightened out and started to speak with a shaky voice that was still riddled with laughter.
"Listen, I saw some weird stuff today, but that's all it was. There are no Gods, and there are no Titans. I don't know which mental hospital you escaped from. As for my mother, don't get her involved in this. She doesn't know anything, all she knows is that her daughter should be home by now. Have a nice day, Aiden, and get off whatever drugs you're on." with that, Cecilia started to walk away, still chuckling like a child
He was going to enjoy this, very much so. As she started to walk away, Aiden snapped and time began to slow down. Walking at normal speed, he tossed a coin into the air the moment he was in front of her. The moment it left his hand, the coin immdiately slowed to a speed that should be impossible to continue rising.
"If Gods and Titans don't exist, tell me, how could I slow time like this? How could the drugs that I'm on." He said, using his hands to gesture and emphaize on.
"It is a bit hard to grasp, I know. But, my dear, it is the truth of our existence. Ever wonder why you have ADHD or Dsylexia?" He said simply, hands in his pockets.
Cecilia watched the coin flip in the air, transfixed by its supernatural abilities. She caught it mid-flip, and examined it in her hands. It was just a normal, everyday coin. She listened more closely to his words, taking him a bit more seriously now. Her eyes widened when he mentioned dyslexia, and she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Okay I'll bite. How can you not know my name, but know I have a reading disorder? Is that another one of your powers?" She felt like a toddler going through the stages of curiosity, but she also felt like these were questions that needed to be asked.
"If I'm a demigod or whatever you're going to call me, who's my dad? Zeus?"Snapping his fingers as she seemed to get it, time resumed its normal course. The boy looked a bit paler from using that ability, and stumbled slighty.
"Fuck." He moaned out briefly before regaining his composure.
"I know you have that ability, because we all do. Your mind is hard wired for Ancient Greek. As for your father, I do not know, he will likely claim you at camp. Come, let us head for camp." He said before seeming to remember something in his pocket and reached in, producing a small box and handing it to her.
"I know it is your birthday, so I picked this up on my way to get you. It would be rude afterall to not gift on a birthday." He said and waited for the girl to respond, as well as opening the small box he had handed her to discover the necklace inside.
Cecilia watched him stumble, his skin a bit paler than it had been moments ago. She realized this probably connected with the usage of whatever magic he had used in order to slow down the coins time. She was about to reach out a hand to help him, when he picked himself back up, acting as though nothing had happened.
"I'll go with you, as long as there's a way to contact my mother when we get to the camp." She was about to start walking, when he produced a small box from his pocket and handed it to her. It would have been a charming present, if she wasn't creeped out by the fact he knew her birthday. She opened the box and retrieved the bronze locket on the inside. It was
shaped to look like a heart, with small lines engraved on It.
"Oh, thank you...it's beautiful." She unclasped it and handed it back to him, lifting up her mountain of hair and turning around.
"I'm glad you like it." He said softly before stepping forward putting the necklace around her neck. Then clasping it so it fit nicely.
"Should be a phone or something back at camp. The necklace looks good on you." He said with a plesant expression then began to head off.
"By the way, I know it was your birthday because your mother told us whenever we reached out to her. So I figured you deserved a present." He said.
After a long while of traveling, the two finally made it to a hill with a lone tree standing guard. Aiden gestured towards the tree and smiled at her. They had a rather plesant conversation on the way, and he found that he rather liked her. A kind girl, truly.
"Here we are, I'll take you right to the Big House. Its been a good time, Cecilia, shall we head on in? " He asked.
After the initial shock had worn off, Cecilia had found her time with Aiden rather fun. They had talked the entire journey, and even though she presumed he would have filled her in on the details of the camp, she didn't ask that many questions about it. When they arrived, Cecilia stared at the tree with a mixture of fear and excitement. She would be here for some time, and it was her job to stay happy. As far as she knew, it was what her mother would have wanted.
"So, about the claiming. Will my dad come and greet me, or what?" her only acknowledgement to his previous question was a nod, as she started walking.
Aiden shook his head in response.
"Sadly, no. Instead their symbol will glow over your head at some point. Hence claiming as the term." He said before allowing a smile to spread across his face.
"Now you're safe, the handsome knight get a reward?" He said with a joking bow, hoping she caught the jest. After straightening back up, he watched the girl to see her response.
Cecilia frowned, apparently the gods didn't love their children enough to visit. How typical of them, all that power and not enough effort when it comes to domestic care. Her frown became a quick smile when he asked for a reward, and gave her a mock bow. She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before closing the distance between the and planting a kiss on his cheek. She stepped back and looked down as her cheeks became a deep shade of crimson.
"Was that a good enough reward?" her blush quickly became a smirk, and she grabbed his hand, pulling him up the hill.
"Take me to the big house. I want to see everything!"Aiden felt his face turn as red as his hair after she kissed his cheek. If the boy was to be honest, he certainly hadn't been expecting something like that. Unfortunately, the act reminded him slightly of his brief times with Lizzy, and what had happened. As she yanked him up the hill, Aiden froze and pulled on Cecilia to turn her around. When she was facing him, Aiden wore a very determined look on his face.
"Cecilia, I noticed your frown earlier. Just know that the Gods do love their kids, and that they can't personally interevene. It is forbidden. I'm sorry, its ruining our mood, but I lost somebody close to me over a similar matter. I... care about you." He said softly, meaning as a friend as he couldn't even think about relationships at the moment.
"I don't want to see you alienate yourself like she did. Promise me you won't do that, okay?" He said. His tone soft, the boy obviously hurting from a memory.
Cecilia was pulled around by Aiden, and made to face him. He brought up the frown she had previously, and she bit her lip cautiously. The way he talked about the topic wasn't just advice, it was personal, and it made her feel a little strange. She pulled her arm out of his grasp, and smiled politely.
"Yeah...no problem. I'm glad we're friends. Do you need some rest? I can make it to the Big House on my own, if you aren't feeling well." She gave him a pat on the shoulder, unsure of what else she could do.
Shaking his head, Aiden stepped forward and looked at her for a long moment.
"No, I think I can take you. No reward needed this time, yeah?" He says with a sad smile before leading the way towards the Big House. No use dwelling on the past anyways, he had a future to write.
Cecilia walked after him, and considered a way to make the situation a bit more light and breezy.
"I'll make a bet with you, if you can guess my father before I'm claimed, I'll do whatever you want. If you lose the bet, you do whatever I want. Deal?" She figured it was a fun way to keep up a conversation, and after she was claimed, it would be an easy way to start a conversation with him later on.
"You're pretty daring, I'm going to guess a Daughter of Ares. Most others wouldn't have risked themselves against a Hellhound like that. So yes, a deal." He said with a small smile before the two head the rest of the way to the big house. Might as well go and talk to Chiron, he'd get everything set up.
