Dorian Underwood & 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚌𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝
— ۵ ۞ ۵ —
Location: Cabin Thirteen - Hades Cabin ---> Cabin Eighteen - Thanatos Cabin; Camp Half-Blood - Long Island Sound; New York.
Interacting with Each Other
When Erin ran to her room Dorian knew not to follow her. Not this time. He didn’t need Elias telling him that either. His brother had disappeared soon almost immediately as Erin retreated. He figured he should follow suit and depart as well, but decided to take the scenic room rather than shadow traveling. He turned to look at Greyson and Tyler who seemed to have decided to remain in the cabin and wait for her. He gave them a nod to acknowledge that he was leaving and stepped right back across the threshold and into the protected air of Camp Half-Blood.
He took a deep breath taking in the air along with everything that had happened so far. The summer had barely even started for them and it was already rough. He was worried about and for Erin. He was aware she could handle her own, but she wasn’t at her best right now. So if she couldn’t be strong, the people around her needed to add their strength to support her. He planned to be one of those people, now and forever. And forever wasn’t going to end in seven days.
Dorian finally released his breath and with it all the concerns that he had. Everything was going to be fine. He had no doubt about it. Part of him wished that he had gotten a chance to talk to Spencer before he left. Maybe he’d get the chance before the quest began. It would be best to clear the air. The walk to Cabin Eighteen seemed to take longer than normal as if the weight of the situation slowed down time or his own perception of it.
He felt an odd sensation when he reached the door to his cabin. Something dangerous was on the other side of the door. He reached down to his side and realized that his sword wasn’t there. That was right. For some idiotic reason he had left it last summer. He sighed and decided to face whatever danger head on. He opened the door expecting to see a god, a monster, or even one of Erin’s hellhounds, but instead he found nothing. Not in the main area of the cabin at least, but something or someone was there.
“Hello? Anyone there? I don’t have a sword, but I have a skeletal hand and I’m not afraid to use it.”By now, Spencer had finished packing most of his stuff… which really wasn’t a lot. If by some miracle his old belongings were even kept intact, they would still be in his barracks back at Camp Jupiter. All he had for gear was a fresh change of clothes composed of an orange camp half-blood shirt, a pair of jeans, and a fresh pair of nikes he was given when he arrived. Other than sorting affairs back at his old home in Wales, he never really hadn’t left camp just to shop for clothes. A lot of things had changed in the 80 years he was gone so everything in the outside world was still pretty much a new experience for him.
Aside from some clothes, he also had a ziploc bag filled with several cubes of ambrosia and a half-liter bottle of ambrosia. Even if he could technically steal vitality from living things or use his scythe to produce the healing fires of the Phlegethon, using these last resort abilities left a bad taste in his mouth.
“I’m already out of that godsforsaken place. Better start acting like it.” He mused to himself.
Suddenly, he felt someone enter the cabin. He had been with Erin and Corona long enough to detect their presence almost automatically but this one felt foreign yet oddly enough… familiar. It was a bit strange to explain it but the presence felt like it was him but not exactly him. Whatever or whoever it was had the stench of death all over it.
There were only two people matching that description. If Erin had already been ruled out, then it could be none other than the sibling that he didn’t know of until he returned to the land of the living several months ago.
Exiting his room, he started towards the main hall of the Thanatos Cabin only to come face to face with him… Dorian Underwood… the other son of Thanatos. The one he didn’t condemn to Tartarus.
“Well well, if it isn’t my dear younger brother.” Spencer asked in a sickly sweet voice as he made his way down to the steps leading to the main hall. This boy was the one he favored. The one he loved. The one he didn’t think of as a mistake. Anger and jealousy burned in Spencer’s eyes as he stared down at Dorian’s own but still he maintained his composure.
“ Surprised to see me? Tell me, did you know I even existed before meeting me here today? Did father even tell you about me?” Each word was uttered with ever increasing pressure and anger as even Spencer had failed to restrain his tone. He had thought that what his father and Madeline Fisher committed 80 years ago was the ultimate form of betrayal… that was until he had met him here today in the flesh.
“Where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself.”The older demigod placed his right hand on his chest as he bowed as if introducing himself to nobility.
“My name is Spencer Mortimer Severus McNight… First son of Thanatos.” Dorian stopped himself from taking a step back in retreat. He could feel the venomous anger in Spencer’s tone. This conversation may not go as well as he had wished it would. He didn’t blame him for being angry. It was a byproduct of being in Tartarus. Even if you held onto your sanity the lace would forever change you. Especially for as long as he was down there.
“Not entirely surprised, no. I did sense danger. I wasn’t too far off.” He tried to lighten the atmosphere while also speaking Spencer’s sarcastic language.
“But no. Before today I thought I was his only son. Our father didn’t tell me. Neither did Chiron, though I’m not sure if he was aware himself.” He raised an eyebrow at Spencer’s introduction. One name caught his attention in particular. Severus. It wasn’t a common name, at least to his personal knowledge and Harry Potter certainly wasn’t around eighty years ago.
“Umm, sorry. But I gotta ask. Are you by any chance related to any Rowling?”Spencer grinned when his younger brother admitted that he found him dangerous. But that soon changed into a frown when it was revealed that Thanatos never mentioned him once to the young lad. Was he really that adamant in sweeping him under the rug? Would he keep the truth from Dorian just to hide what he did to his firstborn all those years ago.
“I’m not surprised you aren’t aware until now. It seems our father was adamant in keeping his sin a secret even from you. You see, in that naivety of yours, you must think that Thanatos is a great father. That he loves his son and that he would do anything for his precious little boy... “ The older sibling casually walked to a nearby armchair as he talked to Dorian. After he took a seat, he motioned the younger son of Thanatos to take a seat on the armchair directly across from him.
“...I’m certain you aren’t aware of this so let’s have an impromptu history lesson. Long ago, before the Big 3 made their pact, they decided that it was too dangerous for Thanatos to have any kids, so they made him swear on the Styx not to produce any heirs with mortals. He actually did a good job at keeping that promise until he met my mum that is.” Spencer paused for a moment, a bitter expression evident on his face as he tried to recall the precious few memories he had left of his mother. Her youthful, energetic smile, her comforting and encouraging voice, her protective and loving touch. She prayed to the fates that Regina McNight had chosen rebirth rather than to stay in Elysium. He knew just how much his mother loved Thanatos so it would have broken her heart if she found out what Thanatos did to her son.
“As soon as he got mum pregnant, he left. When I was 12, mum died but she left me a note that led me to a “safe haven for kids like me.” In all my years there, never once did Dad claim me.” If Dorian had been paying careful attention, he would catch a bit of sadness and longing in Spencer’s tone in that single moment before it was replaced with the same anger he was showing him before.
“On my 16th birthday, he revealed himself to me for the first and only time since apparently he conspired with my girlfriend to kill me and he sent me to Tartarusjust to be on the safe side. All that just so he could conveniently erase his sin in the process. All this time, I’ve been stuck there until recently. Luckily just as I found a way to escape, Erin Maree Chase condemned someone to Tartarus but ended up helping me get out of that shit hole. And now we’re here. Consider yourself caught up.” It felt like a weight had been taken off Spencer’s chest as he finished revealing what Thanatos had kept hidden from Dorian for so long. The kid must have loved the bastard if Dorian doesn’t feel the same way Spencer does. But perhaps his revelation had at the very least shaken his younger brother’s trust on Thanatos. For as much as he didn’t like Dorian, he would never wish upon anybody what he experienced in Tartarus… except his father.
“And don’t blame the old centaur, I wasn’t originally from this camp. No. Before father decided that my existence was a mistake, I was the centurion of the Fifth Cohort in Camp Jupiter. That was 80 years ago.” Spencer explained in a calm yet stern tone.
He was taken aback when Dorian suddenly asked if he was related to any Rowling. He really didn’t recognize the name but at the same time, he really wasn’t that interested in the McNight family’s business partners and contracts so there really was no way for him to remember any Rowling. He did remember the family line quite well but couldn’t recall anyone that had married into any family called Rowling before.
“Can’t say I am related to anybody by that name. Even if I was, why do you care?”Dorian sat attentively in the seat across from Spencer and listening to his tale. Tale may have been the wrong word for it as it certainly did happen, but he didn’t recognize this villainous father that his older brother had the mispleasure of barely being acquainted with. But it was wrong to discount his own experience. He had been sent to Tartarus, but he wasn’t so sure it was as black as white as it appeared to Spencer. To him Thanatos was the villain, but the events of today proved it was always another god causing problems with another one’s kid. He wouldn’t voice any of this. Not now at least. It wouldn’t benefit either of them or help create a relationship between the two. Dorian did feel like he understood his elder brother better than he did a few minutes ago.
“This may not mean much coming from me, but I am sorry that, that happened to you. No one deserves that kind of fate. I’m just glad you didn’t turn out to be some kind of villain.” Dorian may not have had Troy’s ability to detect the truth, but he could tell that Spencer was telling the truth.
“If I had known about you I would’ve forced him to release you or created my own quest to free you. But Erin beat me to that. I’m glad she did, because with her you found someone that’ll never give up on you or let you suffer alone.” He realized that Spencer had suffered a lot through his life. He lost his mom, practically disowned by his dad likely out of fear, and his own girlfriend helped send him to Tartarus. That one definitely hurt. But still, he was here and ready to put his life on the line for someone he just met. At least his life journey hadn’t completely destroyed his trust in others.
“And about Rowling. There’s this series about a magical school and this character named Severus Snape is practically you as a middle-aged man. It’s uncanny.”Spencer wanted to get angry at the young lad, he wanted to lash out at him, ask him why he didn’t suffer as he did… ask Dorian why he was the one their father loved while Spencer was the one he discarded like an unwanted piece of trash. But listening to the boy express his sincerest apologies for their father’s actions, even professing a quest to rescue him if he did find out about having an older brother sooner melted his harsh expression and changed the way he looked at Dorian. Sure there was still jealousy and resentment there but not as much as he initially had for his younger brother.
“Ohhh if I had come across the power they feared I would possess, I probably would have become a villain. The only reason I didn’t immediately go after our father when I was freed was because it’s pointless picking a fight with immortals.” Whatever prophecy the gods may have feared did not happen. Even though he was a son of death, he didn’t get the power to deal Absolute Death, a rumored ability that could kill even immortal beings.
“I figured the best vengeance I could deal to him was living my new life as best as I can... show him that what he did was a mistake that stemmed from fear.” He looked back to what his life had been like ever since he started living at camp. Although he hadn’t exactly been the same person as he was back then, it was inevitable that he’d found people that meant a lot to him… people he would start to care about more than himself.
“Some piece of advice, no matter what he says, no matter what he does, and no matter how much he shows or claims that he loves you, if you don’t want to end up like me, then don’t trust our father completely. You never know when he’ll turn his back against you just as he did to me.” Having said all he wanted to say to Dorian, Spencer went back to his room to finish his preparations. He needed to stay focused and make sure that he has done everything he could to ensure the success of this quest.
In the back of his mind, Spencer made a mental note to chastise Corona later for keeping the meaning of the nickname “Snape” from him all this time.
Dorian watched as Spencer returned to his room while absorbing what he said about their father. He didn’t want to believe that he couldn’t trust him, but thinking back to how quickly he sent him away this morning and how he told him he’d be super busy this summer. Was the latter just an excuse he gave to prevent Dorian from seeking him out and asking about Spencer? The thought lingered in his mind before he sighed and went to his own room. He didn’t know what he needed to pack, but he was going to make sure he didn’t forget his sword.
Crimson Flame
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AtomicNut
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