It's funny; I was getting College of Winterhold vibes as we walked through the halls. It was much less...structured in appearance. But there were clearly classes going on, clearly students learning from teachers, and people just randomly studying in various places.
Of course, it wasn't just studious lessons either. The Ancient One took past a courtyard where they were doing combat lessons without magic, funnily enough.
It seems like they taught hand-to-hand and martial arts here as well.
It didn't take us long as she took us through several corridors, venturing deeper into the monastery-like building.
I glanced to the side to see a man sitting in a seat in the corner of the newest room that she led into.
"Master Hamir, thank you." She exchanged a polite bow with him as the man snapped a book shut, setting it on a nearby shelf before excusing himself without saying a word.
He never even once glanced at .
She gestured to a table, and I took a seat as she joined, tea already prepared and steaming in front of .
"I thought robes denoted status within the sect?" I spoke randomly with the thought that popped in my head. "Along with that guy and so others before, they seed to have their own sense of fashion."
"We're not a sect." She corrected him with a noticeable hint of amusent in her tone.
"Really? A secretive group of immortal-like beings hiding away in the mountains practicing the mystic arts?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we aren't immortal." She responded.
"Ancient One." I pointed at her, specifically calling out her title.
"To be honest, that was mostly due to just so legends that spawned around when I wandered the world in the past." She shook her head. "You make so vague comnts, and they seem to propagate all over. One day I went down the mountain to so corner of the world, and wouldn't you know it, there are so tales of this revered 'Ancient One' spreading the teachings of Magic to those lucky few."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age?" Her lips twitched. "A couple thousand years, I don't quite rember anymore. The calendar has changed enough that I can't pinpoint the exact year of my birth."
"That's it?"
She blinked. "I'm sorry, is that not old enough? This is the first ti I've told soone my age, and they were disappointed."
I shrugged, not bothering to explain that I literally kissed a woman older than humanity quite vigorously before coming here.
"With the na 'Ancient One,' I guess I expected a little more. Maybe you should go with sothing like 'Sowhat Older One'?"
"Oh yes, that certainly just rolls right off the tongue." She let out a faint snort at that.
I found myself smiling. Despite only knowing her for... hours, I felt I got along with her rather well. However, I was…skeptical about so things, so I decided to change gears. "I'm curious why you're being so good to . It might make soone think you have a hidden agenda." I took a sip of the tea I was given.
It was rather good.
"Oh, I do." She admitted without hesitation. "It would be strange if I didn't have one, I think."
I tilted my head back and forth and couldn't argue with that. "True, I suppose."
"But if you wish for a more concrete answer, I can answer. I was already forthcoming with my intentions to apologize for my actions."
"And I accepted the apology. Generally, we would have gone our separate ways after that." I pointed it out.
"Perhaps. And you could have refused my invitation, and that would have mostly been the end of things." She pointed out as well.
"Again, that's true." I did willingly accept her invitation to co on over. It was fully above board and without any sort of manipulation. Honestly, it's refreshing when soone is just fully open about keeping secrets. ᚱÄΝọ฿ΕS
Everyone has secrets; everyone has their own goals and agendas. I don't mind people 'using' for their own benefits if they're just open about it.
She humd for a few monts under our combined silence before opening her mouth again. "There's a Master within the temple. He's from another dinsion. If I had to describe him physically, he would be reminiscent of a Minotaur but with green fur. He's a rather kind and soft-spoken man despite his large stature."
"As interesting as that is, I don't understand the point you're making."
She smiled warmly. "Our job is to protect the world from Mystic threats. Our job is not to gatekeep the world from visitors in its entirety. You call us magical police, which isn't untrue. But if we're using a similar example, we're more like border patrol that sotis has to deal with so internal matters."
"I see." I processed what she told and the underlying insinuations. It seems we're just dancing around the elephant in the room—that being my origin. "What if the world is going to shit by non-Mystic threats?" I asked curiously.
"Well, that is a rather difficult question to answer. The vast majority of the ti, we do not interfere with the mundane world. Wars, death, famine… these things are unfortunately a natural part of life."
"Would have taken a simple flick of your fingers to kill Hitler." I played a bit of devil's advocate, though I did agree with her stance.
"Undeniably. I could have ended the entire war with a snap of my fingers if I were so inclined. But where does it end? Humans need to handle human matters like the adults they are. I can't babysit them every ti a dictator or a would-be conqueror rises to power. And likewise, who am I to say that they're wrong? As much as I don't like to say I agree with your example, if Hitler succeeded and thousands of years into the future, we had a utopia, would you be singing a different tune?"
"Ah, the philosophy of killing Hitler or not." I snorted. "If you're asking seriously, I would still kill him. The future will take care of itself." I finished with a shrug.
"That's the problem. We're not leaders, we're not kings or what-have-you. These kinds of decisions shouldn't be made by us. We are Masters of the Mystic Arts, and our job is to simply continue to let the world keep spinning unabated by things beyond humanity's comprehension."
"Hypothetically, what if a country wanted to release enough nukes to blanket the world?"
"Hypothetically, every rule has an exception, and certain countries may find that their weapons of mass destruction have suddenly disappeared in such a scenario." She replied without missing a beat.
I was well aware I was asking blatantly absurd questions, but I was just curious about her response in how it differed from the 'Magical Police' back in Kunou's world and how even my birth world handles supernatural stuff.
"Do you intentionally keep magic things a secret?"
"To an extent." She revealed. "If tomorrow the world suddenly discovered our existence, I also wouldn't care overly much. But it's easier to do our jobs when we're still obscure and unknown to the populace at large."
"We went a bit off topic. We were talking about why you were being so nice to and all that." I leaned back, relaxing a bit.
"To be thoroughly blunt, we couldn't afford to be anything but nice." She didn't hold back. "I can't say it's easy to predict you, Mr. Shimoda— "
"Wilhelm." I interrupted. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg. Takao Shimoda is my birth na, but it's not the na I go by."
"Mr. Schweinorg then." She smiled. "As you had guessed, I am able to…predict certain outcos." She said with an intentional amount of vagueness. "You are exceedingly difficult to catch any glimpse of. However, to be thorough, I looked at possible scenarios if we took a more hostile and blunt approach to your presence. The results were…well, I believe the word catastrophic is appropriate in this case."
"How hostile?" I furrowed my brow.
"I admit fully that we have killed quite a few demonic beings who have tried to sneak in and cause harm to the world. In my haste, as I ntioned, I assud it had been the case every single ti beforehand."
Ah, I could read in between the lines.
Perhaps she couldn't outline through whatever ans she used to peer at possible futures, but the consequences are probably much easier to observe in so way.
If she and hers actually tried to kill …if I was pushed enough, well, I would lose all guilt about destroying them as well.
So, she was being thorough when 'checking' in various ways to deal with . Killing, exorcising, etc.
I wouldn't get upset from hypothetical scenarios.
Shit, I'm pretty sure at least several pantheons back ho have various 'hypotheticals' in case they have to deal with .
So I can understand her stance now; she's trying very hard to be friendly. Likewise, I do believe her attitude has been genuine up to this point.
She sat silently for a mont or two as I contemplated that before speaking again. "May I…?" She gestured to Sir Wiggles that had still been sitting on my shoulder.
I rubbed him, and he happily bounced over the table and into her hands.
Far be it for to reject Sir Wiggles getting attention.
"He's very well behaved…considering." She spoke softly, and it made realize she understood his nature. "And it's rare to see a genuine familiar these days. It's fallen out of practice over the years. Mostly used by a few witch covens."
To be fair, it's common but not heavily used back ho either. A lot of people simply don't want the extra responsibility that cos with caring for a familiar.
Though, suddenly, her head jerks to the side, and it looks as if she were watching sothing with a very serious expression.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She blinked once and shook her head. "Apologies, soone just broke through the barriers of the world, and it was via a thod I hadn't seen in a long ti. It caught by surprise."
"...sothing concerning?"
"Not at all." She smiled. "So have permission to co and go. It's just been so ti since these ones have paid our world a visit." She humd. "New xico is going to be popular for a bit due to a certain hamr."
"A hamr?" I perked up. "Is it a good hamr?" Because I need a hamr for my Nidhavellir spell symbol.
Her lips curled up. "Oh, most certainly a good hamr. You're welco to go inspect it for yourself."
Why did she sound extrely amused as she said that?
Regardless, I was here for sothing particular. "About Vibranium."
"Ah yes, Vibranium. Specifically, what are your intentions for it?"
"For a sword." I said simply.
"Well…that's significantly more mundane than I anticipated. Very well, the story of Vibranium. Basically, a teor hit the planet so thousands of years ago; that's where Vibranium cos from. It hit the African continent and was discovered by a tribe living there."
"Oh, so they should be open to selling, right?" This might be easier than I thought.
She let out a laugh. "Oh heavens no."
"…..I feel like I'm the butt of a joke here."
"They are… and I'm being generous here, the most advanced country in the world."
"...alright. Well, I might have so stuff they're willing to trade. I have so rare and exotic tals myself. And I don't need much vibranium, I don't think."
"They've also completely hidden themselves from the rest of the world. Everyone believes they rely possess a rock-sized chunk of the precious tal and that they're a third-world country with severe poverty issues."
"...the fuck?"
"Quite." She chuckled. "Suffice to say, you won't have any luck simply purchasing it despite them having a literal mountain of it underground."
"Because they won't give up their masquerade for so gold." I frowned.
"I could be wrong if you have sothing sufficient to trade with. Or maybe if you do offer enough money, they would be willing to offer you a small bit." She continued to scratch Sir Wiggles's head. "I almost forgot to ask, what's this adorable boy's na?"
My annoyance quickly disappeared. "Behold, Sir Wigglesbottom Fluffytail Octavius Benedict III, Crown Prince of the Erald Kingdom, Duke of Carrot Island, General of the Northern Armies, Lightning born, The Devil Slayer. Head of the Chaldean Departnt of Phantasmal Beasts. King of France, First Mate of the Flying Dutchman and King of Asgard, and Sorcerer Supre!"
She gave the most deadpan look. "I don't recall handing over my title."
"Sorry, it already happened. Sir Wiggles is now the Master of Kamar-Taj, leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts." I sighed helplessly.
"Well, I can say that we're in good hands then. But if it's the sa for you, I will continue to handle the day-to-day activities to not burden our Sorcerer Supre."
"Sir Wiggles finds this acceptable." I nodded.
She smiled warmly again. "Now, on to other matters. If you insist on the approach of asking them to purchase their tal, I'll give you the relevant information. For now, I wish to discuss a trade in knowledge. Rare is it for soone versed in mysticism to find their way here as you did. Most of the ti, they're usually hostile entities or accidental arrivals of the mundane variety, like in Master Rintrah's case. If you would be open to a trade, I'm sure we can reciprocate to your liking."
"I'm not against a trade in knowledge; I've hoarded quite a bit over the years myself. If you're willing to make copies, I don't mind leaving so books with you about various things."
"That would be most wonderful. However, I do wish to request nothing of…displeasing nature."
"I thought you didn't reject the 'darker stuff' outright?"
"We don't teach it here. And there's a difference that should be addressed. There are, of course, so things we don't accept here that will see to your expulsion if practiced. Using an example, necromancy is sothing we don't look kindly towards. Certain degrees of it will land you with a one-way ticket out of the mountain if caught. However, even necromancy pales in comparison to so of the more…darker aspects of mysticism. The kind that taints your soul and corrupts you just from practicing or knowing them. Those sorts are kept under a very tight lock and key."
"Fair enough." I saw no reason to argue with her points; they were very straightforward and with good logic behind them. "To be honest, I don't practice that kind of stuff. I have a wide range of knowledge, but my specialties lie in Lightning-elental spellcasting, Runes, and Onmyōdō. However, I'm proficient in quite a bit more."
I began setting books out on the table. Copies of the wand-based spells, copies of the tos from Skyrim, and even stuff from other places.
Obviously, I wasn't just going to drop everything I had into her lap, but it was a good start.
"You're welco to explore the temple at your leisure. Nowhere should be off-limits to you outside of private chambers and the vault where we keep the darker stuff, as I said. I will make sure it's known that you have free access to the library and the relic chambers. However, please do not take anything without permission this ti."
"Oh, so this is where you keep the good stuff?" I pursed my lips.
"It's one of the locations. We simply don't keep too many powerful relics at the London Sanctum due to the degree of incidents that happen in that area. And keeping everything in one location seems too much like putting your eggs in all one basket. So, a hefty portion of the more powerful relics are kept in the Arican Sanctum away from the more magically inclined locations."
Huh, she was being really forthcoming, wasn't she? I suppose we've already reached that point then. I gave her shit for her age, but honestly, once you get that old, you're probably done with the bullshit.
"Got it, raid the Arican Sanctum when I'm free."
I could see her roll her eyes. "Try not to cause too much of a problem for any sanctum. They're literally focal points for Earth's Mystic defenses."
Huh, that's neat. I'll have to look into that.
So many new things to explore; I'm excited!
"By the way, do you know of a goddess with black hair in a death realm that likes to throw swords at people?"
"….no? And that was oddly specific." She seed taken aback.
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter.
"So how does one normally get their hands on a 'relic'?" I asked. "You ntioned so sort of 'resonance'?"
"You an other than simply stealing them?" She gave a look. "But yes, that's the most simplistic thod. Often, certain individuals appear that just align so well with a relic that they act up when getting close. You t Master Mordo; he has several artifacts that have chosen him over the years. His primary weapon is known as the Staff of the Living Tribunal; it chose him when he was still an initiate when wandering the halls of Kamar-Taj."
"What if you don't get 'chosen'?"
"Well, it's not like we don't have other avenues. We're not that rigid yet. For…lesser relics—and I use that term loosely in this context—you can simply apply for them. The majority of the ti, if sothing isn't particularly noteworthy, we'll basically sign off on it without a second glance."
Hmm, makes sense, I suppose.
"What are your plans?" She then asked. "Do you wish to visit the library? Explore the temple? Or simply wander off sowhere?"
"To be honest, I want to try my hand with the—what was the place called, Wakanda? I'll go see if I can't convince them with ample amounts of money or other valuable things."
"Well, it's your prerogative. But I don't see you succeeding."
"I just have to be my normal charming self to convince them." I adjusted my tie.
"…..As long as you don't create problems that threaten the world." She shook her head. "Don't expect help from or, rather, us here at Kamar-Taj. We have certain…ancient agreents."
"That sounds ominous."
"It was before my ti. And even I'm rather vague on the details, only following my predecessor's teachings."
"So there are Ancient Ones?" I looked at her before standing up.
"Wait until I tell you about the Ancient One." She smiled. "Would you like a lift?" She offered, the beginning of her portal magics faintly forming.
I snapped my fingers, creating my own portal. Of course it wasn't to Wakanda because I didn't have any idea where that actually was, but I just wanted to make a point. "You have my permission to change your underwear after this."
"No one likes a showoff." She dismissed her magic. "If you give a mont, I can retrieve the records we kept on Wakanda before you depart."
[Line Break]
I actually stepped out of a portal this ti.
Sir Wiggles was absent, or more specifically, I left him with the Ancient One because he seed to enjoy her attention. I also let Lady Wiggles join in, and the Ancient One seed equally excited at the new addition of the pregnant Lady Wiggles.
But I didn't really want to waste any ti; I specifically ca here for Vibranium. And despite also using this chance as a working vacation, learning new things, exploring, and doing so work, I did want to knock out the main objectives first.
If I upgraded the tal of Greed, I was confident in getting it to absorb Fenrir's saliva without issue.
Of course I had other tals to work with, but after what Gramps explained about Vibranium—well, I wanted to check it out before making any decisions.
I had an old map out in my hands and a notebook under my arm as I noted my location.
I was about…10 minutes away from the Wakanda border?
It was only a few countries southwest of Egypt, interestingly enough. This country doesn't exist on any other Earths that I've visited before.
Supposedly the most advanced country in the world, completely hiding themselves away. It sounded rather absurd to think about, but then I'm reminded of how many worlds that Magic is kept a secret.
Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable, blah blah.
Well, I can say that the air here is rather fresh!
I should visit Africa more often; it really is a beautiful place. It's just another reminder that even back ho, there are so many amazing places to explore and visit that don't need such extre asures to travel to.
But I digress.
The trek to Wakanda only took like twenty minutes, mostly because I was admiring the views.
I opened up the notebook I had and basically just copied information from the records they had at Kamar Taj. And I got a pretty good idea of what I was going with; the supposed 'Border Tribe' handles the border, which sounds rather obvious. But more so, they are literally stationed at every conceivable entrance to Wakanda, acting as border patrol.
There were so farmsteads up ahead, densely packed enough to look like a village at first glance.
I looked at the map, then at the natural formations around , and I asured my steps carefully.
Counting them, I took a couple more steps forward, took out a chair, and sat down on it.
And then, I waited.
It didn't take long for to be noticed, but no one ca over imdiately. Instead, they just kept stealing glances at , whispering to each other, and seemingly gesturing stealthily to bring others over.
Oh well, I was just patiently waiting and biding my ti.
It was important to be polite when I was the one asking for sothing.
Eventually, after what felt like a couple of hours, several people rode over on horses. I couldn't hear them from this distance, but several of the farrs pointed at and clearly were talking to the newcors before they started approaching .
I crossed my legs, taking up a non-aggressive pose with my hands in my lap. "Good day, gentlen." I greeted them.
They didn't greet back.
In fact, they didn't express much emotion at all seeing , their feet shuffling until they were about 10 feet away from .
I made it look like I was reaching into my pocket to take out a pair of glasses; they tensed slightly before seeing that it wasn't anything dangerous.
I humd as I put them on, giving them a once-over.
Oh, wasn't that interesting? These…guards, they were wearing these thick cloaks, almost like blankets. Different designs, different colors, different styles, but they all wore one. I couldn't comnt on the cultural aspect, but they were all giving off strange energy.
It wasn't Magic, of course, but even my rune-carved glasses could at least see that faint energy.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" The one in the front was the first to speak, a thick accent, though I suppose I would be the one with an accent since it's their ho.
"Good evening, my na is Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg." I politely introduced myself. "As for what I want, I wanted the opportunity to purchase so Vibranium from you. I have much to trade: gold, precious stones, and precious tals." I decided to just lay all my cards on the table.
The man's face didn't change. "Go away, outsider; we have no Vibranium here."
"...everyone knows that Wakanda has Vibranium, though." Well, the Ancient One did say they were going to reject . So ti to work that Schweinorg magic. "I don't need a lot, perhaps four pounds of it." If my estimates were right, considering it was less than a third the weight of steel. "I'm open to negotiations."
I put on my most charming smile.
"Go away." He said again with a gruff tone.
"Alright, Mr. – What was your na again?"
"I didn't give you my na." He responded bluntly.
"Alright, Mr. I-Didn't-Give-You-My-Na, let's talk price." Clapped my hands, only to pull them apart, revealing a gold coin, and I flicked it over to him. He caught it easily, giving it a look without any change in expression still. "Ten thousand of those for four pounds of vibranium."
There seed to be a flicker of sothing, surprise in his gaze?
"We have no Vibranium." He repeated again.
"Look, can we be candid for a mont?" I tried to be approachable in my tone. "I know you have a lot of Vibranium; I don't care about what you all are doing hiding away. I just want to buy a few pounds of it, then I'll be on my way." I offered sincerely.
I could imagine that they have to be careful with their 'secret,' so just being forward and direct is probably the best path.
"Your giant shield…" I pointed way behind us; it was only barely noticeable and only so because I was wearing these special glasses. "Yeah, I can see the giant shield poking over the mountains; presumably it's around your capital city? And I can even see your cloaks glowing…" I pointed to them next.
They stilled, eyes widening.
Honesty is often the best policy in these kinds of situations.
When you make inroads and find common ground—
Ah, they're pulling weapons out.
Several of them held up these weird bead-like bracelets to their ears and started shouting orders as they lit up.
"You will co with us now!" The assud leader held up a curved sword, pointing at and making a declaration. Well, it wasn't curved like a scimitar; it was curved forward, interestingly enough.
Well, things escalated quickly.
What did I do wrong?
I found myself sighing amidst the commotion.
Ddraig, I was polite, right?
[You were very polite.] He responded.
I nodded to myself.
They were shouting, but I wasn't having any of it, lots of calls to surrender, to get on the ground, etc. etc.
I took out an apple and bit into it right in front of them, slowly chewing it a few tis before swallowing. "A simple rejection would have sufficed. Sure, I would have annoyed you for a few more minutes with several more offers, but that's about it."
"This is your last warning; put your hands behind your head and get on the ground." The 'leader' of these guys commanded, and he looked ready to follow up on it this ti.
"No, I don't think I will." I pointed at the ground. "Unless you want to cross sovereign lines and break international law. I'm fairly positive Wakanda borders end just under three feet in front of , but I left room for error."
Well, it didn't an anything to , maybe not to them either, but it would assuage my guilt when I inevitably teach them the error of their ways.
And it's not like I couldn't understand their point of view; it's just that I didn't really care.
I tossed my apple; it made an arc in the air, and all eyes seed to follow it for a brief mont. It smacked right into 'sothing' before hitting the ground. That 'sothing' made a small noise—a rather human noise.
Invisibility tech?
My interest is piqued.
But I generally don't fuck with regular people.
A few people appeared 'out of thin air'; of course, I could see them the entire ti. These ones were wearing different garb and held tal spears.
Were those made of Vibranium?
I had the urge to steal one, but from what I understood, already forged Vibranium was a bitch and a half to reforge, nearly impossible outright without certain variables.
Whatever, this was just my first stop. It's not like there won't be any other Vibranium deposits in the world. If a teor crashed into the land here, there most likely were broken pieces of that sa teor that hit other places, most likely the ocean.
However, tracking it down will be hard when Vibranium and Magic don't play well together.
I turned around to leave, and then I felt sothing.
A pulse of energy emanated from one of the spears; I turned around just in ti to see it, and my hat was flying off my head.
The hat that I was happy to have found… now had a big hole through it, steam drifting off the seared edges.
I wasn't angry.
I wasn't angry.
My Reiatsu didn't surge outwards.
I wasn't pressing them to the ground, forcing their souls to shudder under the weight until they collapsed, unconscious.
I wasn't angry.
Steal their stuff?
No, that would give them an excuse.
I had a better idea.
[Line Break]
"You're back." The Ancient One greeted . "How was your trip?"
I threw the hat on the table next to her.
"...You didn't destroy the country, did you?"
"I have more self-constraint than that." I snorted. "But I do have a favor to ask."
"Hesitantly, I will ask for details."
"What do you know about Nigeria? The country that I was in that bordered Wakanda?" I asked.
"Not much? It was never a particularly magical hotspot. Why, what do you want to know?"
"Oh, not much. Na of their current president. Land costs, specifically the lands bordering Wakanda. Oh, and any treaties and border laws shared between the two countries would be wonderful."
I paused again.
"And so painting supplies; I'm going to need a lot of painting supplies." I muttered.
[Line Break]
Non-Canon Omake: The Little Spider, Chapter 6
"And this is the kitchen I guess?" Percy showed Arachne around the cabin despite it being new to him as well.
His mom just looked at them with mild amusent as he led her around.
"It has a stove, I would assu so." Arachne nodded.
"Not much of a kitchen."
"Better than cooking over an open fire."
"I guess." He shrugged. "And there's a bunch of random stuff all over the place."
Arachne reached over to a desk and picked up an antique looking spyglass, holding it up to her eye to see. "It's magic, it can see through about twenty feet of water." She looked out the window and down into the lake, watching the fish.
"Wait, really? Can I see?" Percy's eyes lit up.
She happily handed it to him and he swept it all out the window towards the lake not far away.
"Holy crap, mom co try this out." He excitedly called her over. "It's like the water isn't even there."
"Alright, alright." She humored him, taking it from him as she looked through it. "That's really cool, Percy." She smiled.
Percy looked around and his eyes landed back on Arachne. "How'd you know it was magic?"
"A am a Magus, it's easy to notice." Arachne said proudly, then pointed towards a weather sextant. "That one help ya with directions even if you don't know where you're going." She then pointed towards a globe in a box. "That one always marks its location on its map for ya."
Percy's eyes lit up even more. "That's so cool." He whispered.
For Arachne, these Mystic Codes were rather simplistic and easy to analyze at a glance.
"You said that anyone can learn magic, right?" Percy asked, recalling the argunt she had with her half-sister. "Is it possible for to learn?"
"Of course. It's much easier for a Demi-god to learn than a normal human."
"Regular humans can learn magic?!"
"Yup, but it's more complicated. Lots of calculations." She waived her hand. "A don't like it too much. I know a few things, but I just use what mah mom and da taught ."
"….would it be possible for you to teach so things?" He hesitantly asked.
Arachne gave him a scrutinizing look. Normally, she wasn't one for just willfully teaching people things.
Her mom once told her that becoming a teacher was a responsibility that one had to take seriously, and Arachne wasn't quite sure she knew how to be a teacher.
But she also wanted to thank him for being so accommodating. She had no desire to sleep in the Athena cabin after eting her Half-sister. She may be blunt and honest with her opinions, but she wasn't oblivious to the awkwardness that developed.
Secondly, the Hers cabin was packed, and she liked her space.
"Okay, I'll teach you so things." She agreed. "Just don't call teacher." She settled on a half asure. If it were simply a friendly exchange, then it wouldn't count as being his teacher proper. "Since you're a child of Poseidon, I can think of so stuff ta teach ya."
Percy let out a woop in excitent, but it only lasted a minute.
"Are you gonna be okay?" He looked at her in concern. "Mom gave this whole speech that she apparently heard from my dad about how Gods have to be respected, blah blah." He especially was talking about how she made a jab at her mom while they were apparently being 'watched'.
Percy didn't know anything about that, he just assud so godly magical mystic stuff he didn't understand. And he didn't feel like she would randomly make up sothing weird like that, so he was a little bit worried.
Arachne let out a scoff. "It's about circumstances. If it's an official gathering ya know, ya should show proper etiquette, my parents taught that." It was actually her dad that taught her that. When to read the mood and what-not. "But if they get uppity 'cause of sothin stupid, then they ain't worth treating with respect."
She had t many gods in her life so far, and she realized an important fact early on. The gods that treat themselves too seriously usually are the least worth respecting.
"So, this isn't new to you?" He looked at her, though he assud and how she talked about magic, but that didn't imdiately an god stuff.
"Nah, I've t plenty of gods before. Got plenty of them in my family too." She shrugged.
"Oh, that's neat." Percy nodded along. "I just found out myself. Thought there was just sothing wrong with most my life, turns out it's because I got god juice in ."
"Percy!" His mom interrupted with an exclamation. "There was nothing wrong with you."
"Mom, I got expelled from a bunch of schools for so unexplainable things. What was I supposed to think?" He looked at her with a deadpan.
"….you got expelled too?" She looked at him. "What'd you do?"
"Sohow fired a fake cannon at a school bus." He said evenly.
"Ah, that's impressive. How'd you do it?"
"…." Percy blinked. "How did I do it? They said it was sealed and it wasn't even loaded."
"Percy, you already had the Mists explained to you." His mom responded carefully.
"Oh right. Magical stuff that made see things I didn't see. Because that makes more sense than think I'm crazy." He snorted. "Wait, you said you were expelled too?"
Arachne blushed slightly and looked away. "...I stabbed my teacher with my spear."
"Oh." Percy blinked. "I an…yeah, that's pretty bad."
"They were a vampire."
"Oh!" His eyes widened. "That sucks, I guess everyone didn't know that and – "
"No, it was a magic school, they specifically hired him knowing he was a vampire."
"….so evil school?"
"No." Arachne said bluntly. "He was just an average worker who happened to be a vampire through so unfortunate events. Vampires have a ti getting employnt in many places. Even other magical races discriminate against them, it's actually very sad."
"And you stabbed him?"
"….in my defense, I didn't know he was properly hired." She flushed in embarrassnt.
There was an awkward silence that followed.
There was a firm knock on the cabin door. Percy looked at and to his mom, then realized that he should properly answer it considering that it's 'his' cabin.
Arachne just walked over to Mr. Blueberry who was happily sleeping on one of the beds. It was a little funny for her to see him sohow fit his big body onto it comfortably. But She just stroked his head between his horns where she knew he liked it while he slept peacefully.
"Uh, Arachne, soone's here for you?" Percy called to her.
It was just far enough away that she couldn't see out the door, so she got up as Percy seemingly gave a very wide berth.
As Arachne got close, she noticed who was standing there.
She didn't need the depth of vision that her da had, to know who it was. The grey eyes shined, and the thinly veiled divinity was clear to soone as young as her.
Arachne stood there, facing the Goddess who was her mother.
"We finally et after all this ti." The Goddess was the first to speak. "I think this is the first ti I've personally co to greet one of my children at camp. You must have been waiting a long ti for this mont, and –"
"Who are you?" Arachne said bluntly.
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, abruptly went silent.
She was the Goddess of Wisdom; she doesn't make a visual fool of herself. Despite nearly stumbling with her words at the abrupt 'disrespect' that she was highly unused to, she kept herself composed.
She forced a smile.
Athena knew better than most when being aggressive and when taking a step back is a wise choice. She was dealing with a child, she knew how to handle children very well. She would let her daughter feel like she 'won' before moving forward when her own plans.
"I'm your mother."
It was a simple and direct answer without much room to throw a verbal tantrum what-have-you.
Of course, she knew her children were all witty and she expected a bit of a verbal sparring, even if it ca in the form of underhanded insults. Athena was not like the other Olympian Gods, and while she demanded respect all the sa, she genuinely appreciated an intelligent way to insult soone rather than just being a bore.
So, she waited for her daughter's response, preparing an assort of retorts to every scenario she envisioned.
Would she insult the lack of Athena in her life?
Would she claim so kind of debt owed for the absence of a parent?
So many ways this could go, especially after the incident that occurred not long ago where everyone watched.
Or would she –
"I don't know you." Arachne abruptly slamd the door in her face and walked back into the cabin.
She saw Percy hunching over a book with his mother.
"What's that?" She asked curiously.
Percy looked up. "Oh, did you deal with your….thing?"
"Yup." She said bluntly. "What's that?" She pointed at the book.
"Oh, just a random book about sailing, I just wanted to see if knowing I'm a Demigod now makes it so I'm not stupid anymore. But it turns out, I'm still stupid."
"Percy, you're not stupid. It's called Dyslexia and you know that." His mother chided.
"Shouldn't being part god make it so I'm like, super smart and stuff? Not have trouble reading at a fourth-grade level?" Percy grumbled.
"It's cause gods don't speak or read human languages. You hear them, you think they're speaking in English, but it's just projected that way." Arachne replied to him, rummaging through so of the junk in the cabin until she found a pair of glasses. "It sses up your brain cause a god isn't physical, they're taphysical. Their concepts align with the Greek Cosmology, so your brain is partly Greek in makeup on a conceptual level, so everything you read wants to be Greek in yer mind making it hard to read properly."
She rembered her parents talking to her about this a long ti ago. She has had so issues, less than a 'regular' Demigod due to her Devil Heritage, but they had to fix a few things.
"I understood so of those words." Percy said after a mont.
"Gods don't mix well with humans." Arachne shrugged, tracing very small runes along the outer edge of the glass portion of the glasses. "Put these one." She tossed them to him as she finished.
Percy blinked. "I'm stupid, not blind."
"Percy." His mom said sternly.
Percy rolled his eyes.
"It should help the words be clearer for you on paper." She spoke.
Percy blinked again, and decided to put them on and looked down at the book. There was several monts of silence as he seemingly kept reading. "…I can read fine."
The boy looked up at Arachne with an indiscernible expression.
Arachne just smiled.
It was a simple gesture for her, but for him, it was sothing he'd always struggled with and had low self-esteem with.
"I also made them very durable."
"How durable?" Percy asked.
"Should be fine getting run over by a car." She estimated.
Percy choked sowhat, but there was a small redness in his eyes and his mom quickly hugged him, mouthing a big thank you to Arachne.
Again, Arachne smiled.
It made her feel good, being a hero to soone.
She understood why Uncle Achilles was always so prideful about being a hero.
There was another loud and assertive knock on the cabin's door.
Percy was still being hugged tightly by his mom, so Arachne got up and went to check this ti. She expected a certain soone but to her surprise, it wasn't the Goddess.
Truthfully, she expected the Goddess to throw a fit, but it never ca.
Regardless, she was looking at three other people about her age.
A girl, with a large stature and noticeable muscles due to her torn off sleeves at the front with a couple of boys behind her.
"You the shrimp with the fish that everyone's talking about?" The girl in front called out to Arachne.
"No." Arachne replied.
"I can see it from here." She peered around Arachne to see Mr. Blueberry sleeping soundly on the bed.
Arachne turned out, looking at Mr. Blueberry then back at the strange girl and slamd the door in her face.
Before she could take a second step away, there was a large thump at the door behind her. She could just barely make out a fist indentation on the door from her side.
Arachne frowned.
She knew that Percy didn't understand the significance when he allowed her to stay, but this place was utterly enveloped in a certain Divine Aura.
It was no different than being in a god's temple, for which she was a guest. And now soone was causing a commotion to the proverbial temple where she was staying.
She marched back over, threw the door open, and before the girl could utter a word, Arachne threw out a punch, knocking the girl off her feet, landing on her butt.
The two boys next to her looked on with eyes wide, not expecting sudden violence.
The girl, to her credit, was barely dazed, rely surprised. "You got so balls!" She nearly snarled, pushing back up to her feet.
"Then I guess that an we both got a pair!" Arachne snorted, insulting the girl's looks, insinuating that she looked like a man.
The girl looked ready to rage and start throwing punches, which suited Arachne just fine.
"Hand over the fish, or you're in for a beating." She rubbed her nose where she had been punched.
"His na is Mr. Blueberry, and no." Arachne crossed her arms.
"That's a stupid na." The girl snorted. "Hand over the fish, my dad even told to get it, don't make go through you."
"Fuck you." Arachne spat out. "If you dare lay a hand on Mr. Blueberry I'll kill you."
The girl blinked, even amidst her growing rage, because she could feel that Arachne was being serious.
And despite being more than happy to punch her problems away, she knew that punching the door to the cabin was much different than forcing her way inside and 'stealing' sothing from within.
One was straddling the line, the other was pissing all over it.
"Then let's settle it with a fight!" The girl demanded. "If I win, the fish is mine."
"No."
"Are you a coward!?"
"Then if I win, your mom is mine."
"What!?" The girl was taken aback.
"What, you can demand my family mbers as prizes, but I can't do the sa?" Arachne scoffed. "Are you a coward!?" She repeated in an obvious sarcastic and mocking tone.
"It's just a fish!"
"And your mom is a cow, what's your point?"
The girl – rather, the Daughter of Ares – Clarisse felt the anger rising up in her chest. Her dad snuck her a ssage telling her to get the fish from the weird girl and she would be rewarded heavily. But she very well couldn't just barge in and now this girl wasn't accepting a fight.
"You're just a coward, hiding behind words like all the other idiots from the Athena Cabin." Clarisse scoffed. "All of them are pansys, I'm not surprised you're too scared to fight."
"Then forget a wager." Arachne jumped out of the cabin. "Let's have a duel to the death right here and now!"
Clarisse was once more taken aback, because she genuinely felt the sincerity in what Arachne said.
She was ready to fight to the death right here and now, there was a subtle bloodlust that the Daughter of Ares could pick up.
She was abruptly pulled back from her rage because although she knew she was a bully and tended to be physically oppressive to the other campers, she never actually tried to kill any of them.
In fact, it was heavily against the rules to kill one another. Ignoring the fact that every kid there had a godly parent that would most certainly take revenge, anyone who killed another camper would be treated to the worst punishnts.
And the punishnts were by ancient Greek standards.
Arachne harumphed at Clarisse's lack of words of action. "As expect from a Daughter of Ares, nothing but a coward." She recalled all the stories her mom told her about The War God.
As soon as the words left her mouth, there was a strange thunderclap in the clear sky.
A blood-red spear flashed above Clarisse's head. Normally, it's a sign of a child being claid by their god, but that has long since occurred for the girl. It was used for a different purpose this ti.
Clarisse and the others instinctively kneeled.
"Alright, little girl, you got my attention." The voice of the God of War could be heard from the symbol. "Since you insulted so openly, I'm allowed to take action now. So, here's what's going to happen, you're going to fight. No smart-ass words like your dear mother, no tricks to confused her, no getting out of it, no running away. Consider this your punishnt. A proper duel. And of course, to the victor goes the spoils." There was no need to elaborate on that part. "I appoint Clarisse as my champion, so sayeth Ares, the God of War."
The Divine Power dissipated without a chance for Arachne to respond.
She rely rolled her eyes with a sigh.
It was all sophistry if anything.
And 'Insult' in the loosest definition of the word, it was obvious he had been watching and waiting for an opportunity.
Clarisse stood up with a big sowhat bloodthirsty grin on her face. She could admit that the girl threw her for a loop before, but all she needed to hear was the words 'duel' and 'fight' and she could just settle everything properly that way.
Since her dad stepped in, she didn't need to think about it any deeper.
"Okay, but what do I get if I win?" Arachne realized it was better to just nip this in the bud. With a reluctant sigh, she relented with regards to a 'duel' rather than a fight to the death.
Clarisse blanked because she didn't have an answer to that. "…..dad?"
The symbol above her head flashed again.
"I guess I forgot about that." The God of War sounded bored. "Alright, what do you want if you win?" The way he spoke, it was clear he was just humoring her just for the sake of setting the stakes. Despite him forcing the issue, there had to be a 'fair' stake.
Arachne gave it so thought.
They underestimated her.
Not her strength, not her power.
No, they underestimate who her da was and how petty she could be from learning from him.
"I want the Ares Cabin."
[Line Break]
A/N
Obviously, he's going to write the Wakandan governnt a stern letter reprimanding them for their actions and nothing else.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support , visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
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