[NSFW] The Storm That Is Approaching(PJO Quest Story Only)

[Maleficarum]

Synopsis: Not all stories have a happy beginning, nor do most Demigods have a happy childhood.

Hector Lawrence had a good life. Sure he got into a lot of fights and he had a great deal of trouble in school due to having both ADHD and Dyslexia, alongside having a missing father... but he still had a lot to be thankful for. A loving mother who was always patient with the issues he had, a couple of great friends, and a great many awards for various sports and competitions! But soon he'll learn that The Fates can be rather cruel to those with Heritages like him.

---

Minneapolis Minnesota, June 5th 1996

Storms were your favorite type of weather. No matter the type or intensity, when the sky grew thick with the cumulous creations and blocked the sun or stars from view. Rain or snow it didn't matter much and you just enjoyed the phenomenon as it happened. And honestly they happened around you quite often. Mom even said you were born during a storm, so it kind of felt like you and them would be linked for the rest of your life which was fine by you.

Sighing, you leaned your forehead against the cool surface of the glass window that you had been looking through at the gathering storm outside. Closing your eyes you wondered how you had gotten here. In school during summer break. You tried your best honestly, its not your fault you had both Dyslexia and AD/HD combining into the unholy mess that was at best solid Cs and more often Ds with a few Fs. Despite all that though you still kicked ass in various competitions for school, absolutely killing it in Football, Baseball, and Basketball. You even did great in Swimming surprisingly enough as well. Yet even that couldn't save you from the terrible crushing weight that was remedial classes and assignments thick enough that you could use them as bludgeons.

Opening your eyes you could see that the storm outside had picked up even more. Now it was...

...Howling with the force of the wind blowing around. The gales were outright bending trees with how fast they were moving, picking up small debris and other trash within their embrace. You liked it. The wind was always your favorite, be it slight breezes on slightly cloudy days to watching the utter power and strength of a tornado as it spread its wrath. Flying was great as well with that one round trip you and your mother took to visit your grandparents in Arizona. Being so high up was amazing and you felt absolutely charged with energy. Maybe one day you could be a pilot... if you could pass your damn math and science classes well enough.

"Ahem, if you would mind paying attention Mr. Lawrence?"

"Yes sir..."

Groaning internally you moved you head away from the window and turned your gaze to the front of the classroom. You were in Mr. Robinson's class, where he taught Mathematics. Taking a quick glance around you saw a few others within the same cheap desks that all rooms had in Scobee Elementary School. There was Clarence Thomas, a rather slow kid who managed to get worse grades than you but dang it if he wasn't the kindest boy you ever met. Simple fit him best. Next was Joline Marie, a girl from a troubled home who often spent too much time on her phone. A few other people who's names you didn't remember, and lastly was him.

Marcus Douglas. The biggest piece of crap bully in this school. Honestly the number of times you got in trouble fighting him was hard to keep track of. First when you transferred here from your last school he thought you an easy target. When you proceeded to beat him so hard his future grandchildren would feel it, he managed to learn the lesson to not mess with you after a couple more scraps, be it him jumping you alone or with backup. If only he would learn not to mess with others like your friends Jimmy or Chris.

Anyway, turning your thoughts back to Mr. Robinson showed he was still in the middle of speaking.

"... So as long as you remember the formulas and follow the steps just discussed, you'll be fine. You have 30 minutes to finish everything including the bonus questions."

Shit... what formulas was he talking about? Fucking goddamn your AD/HD! Okay. Calm down. You've got this. Nothing to worry about. You are absolutely the Math King!

You were screwed.

Just as Mr. Robinson arrived near you desk and handed you your own stack of papers you gave him in your opinion one of your best smiles in the face of calamity. Seeing him walk back to the front you gave your paper a quick glance and saw all the letters and numbers proceed to shift and move around.

"Alright everyone, the test starts now!"

Ughhh... You absolutely despised Math. It was a subject by nerds for nerds and it was absolutely messed up that becoming a pilot required it. You totally bet you could fly a plane without having to learn about Hypotenuses and X equals Y but with different numbers and signs. God, why did math need symbols added into it, it was already hard enough!!! And that's without the numbers and letters shifting places and moving around.

Taking a glance outside you saw that rain was finally hitting the ground in a steady amount, if being blown almost completely sideways from the wind. Oh what you wouldn't do to be out there in the wind and the rain. Honestly you barely got wet when outside in storms like this so you don't get what people complained about...

Wait, shouldn't you be doing something right now?

Wait... the test! Goddamnit not again! You weren't gonna get distracted this time no matter how much you'd love to stormwatch!

Okay. Deep breath in. Hold it. Focus Hector Focus! You can do this! Alright.

Looking back down at the paper you saw the letters and numbers try to swim away from their spots but not this time!!! You were definitely not gonna let your stupid inability to read right make you fail.

Slowly but surely as the time ticked down you whittled away at your most vaunted foe, and right before the bell rung you snatched victory from the jaws of defeat! You even went back to the beginning of the papers and fixed some now blatantly obvious mistakes or missing answers. Hell, your Dyslexia barely flared up during it all.

"Alright everyone! Time's up, bring your papers up to my desk one by one and then you may leave."
Sighing in relief, you started to gather you stuff up and organize your papers before finally walking to Mr. Robinson's desk. Handing him your papers you stayed back a second as he flipped through them for a minute.

"Hmmm... a rather sudden improved showMing Mr. Lawrence. Very... markedly different. If I didn't see the still glaring issues with your work shown for the write-in problems and the multiple retries at them I'd have thought you cheated."

Your teeth grinded at that rather rude remark.

"Hey! I might have difficulties with this kinda stuff and get in trouble, but I always follow the rules!"

"Yes yes. Fighting for the little man and sticking it to the bullies whatever. Anyway you're probably waiting for my verdict I suppose. Well... with this rather astounding level of improvement, alongside your averages across the board... you won't in fact have to repeat the school year."

Putting the papers down he looked up at your smiling face that had started breaking out of the stormy expression from before. Sighing, he took off the glasses on his plain looking face and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"And neither will you be prevented from continuing any of the sports you so very much enjoy. Honestly if you put the same level of effort you did today and that you put into practice and games I'm sure you'd be achieving far higher grades."

Your smile dipped a bit at that. Mr. Robinson always was one of the teachers who thought you were faking or overplaying your difficulties. He was kind of a dick like that. Still! Nothing was gonna mess with your cheer today, you were finally free from summer school for the rest of the break!

"Kay, thanks for letting me know bye!"

With those parting words you were running off out the door and making your to the front of the building where your mom was probably waiting to pick you up.

Finally, after a month too long, school was out for summer!

It was as you were running that a faint sound reached your ears and a tingle jolted across the back of your neck.

"... us wh.. want reta.., or else... gonna pummel it... of you."

"Pl.. st... urt me."

Soft laughter from multiple people was all that you heard.

You knew those voices. You knew them very well. That absolute tool of an idiot Marcus and his goon crew were cornering Clarence somewhere... West of you. Man, your hearing must be really good or else they must be louder than ever, even soft spoken Clare.

Still, now wasn't the time to mull over it. Hearing that you were feeling rather...

...Responsible. You remember it after all. You had promised Clarence that you'd look after him after the few times you'd hung out around school. The exact wording didn't compel you to start running in the direction of the group, but your own morals that your mother raised you with did. Stand up to bullies, don't let others get away with evil if you can, and be honest when the situation allows.

So as your backpack thumped to the ground behind you you were already sprinting. You'd get there before they did anything or your name wasn't Hector Lawrence!

You were fast. You always knew this. Aside from being able to absolutely outmuscle even grown adults or kick ass and take names, you were speedy. So it was no surprise to you how fast the doorways and windows into classrooms flashed past beside you.

The treads of your boots gripped the smooth tile of the hallways tightly as your pace ate up the ground. Hearing the laughter start to peter out you dug within yourself just a little bit more as you skidded across a corner before leaning forward and immediately picking up the pace once again. Step by step you started to feel a little bit lighter, just a little bit faster than you were before. Before you knew it you were rapidly closing in onto the closed door of a boy's bathroom. Not even slowing down you leapt forward and twisted your body so you were flying feet first and colliding with it shortly after.

A loud crash echoed out as the door slammed open and you rolled forward to bleed off momentum. Standing back up you took in the surroundings. Nine other boys other than Clarence and Marcus within the area, all surrounding the former who was backed up shaking against a wall. They must have been in other classes for summer school as well. Currently they were all looking at you with shock on their faces. Well, you were gonna show them something really shocking. Standing up slowly you made to speak, but before you even could Marcus decided to make his move.

"Well don't just stand there, get him! He's been a pain in my ass for the past few months and he can learn a lesson or two on the proper pecking order!"

And with that their surprise was shook off and they all lunged at you. Now, you had been in a lot of fights in the past. Honestly you couldn't count how many you had been involved in bouncing around from school to school every year. That said you had never had to fight more than a few at a time and even then you usually had much more space in those brawls than a school restroom. So it was a blow to your pride that you were quickly overwhelmed. You managed to get a good punch and kick or two in there that had some of the other kids reeling, and you definitely weren't feeling any of their own blows. It was honestly more like they were trying to tickle you. But in the end they ended up restraining you with two to three boys a limb after their first attempt had you easily break free. Still, you weren't making it easy for them as you could see from their red and sweaty faces.

"Shit Marcus, the fuck is this kid!"

"Y-you - shit - you're sure he ain't a fucking demon in disguise?!?"

"He broke my goddamn nose!"

Marcus ignored their complaints though and walked away from Clarence who had remained where he was as quiet as a mouse. An ugly sneer was on his face as he stepped closer to you.

"Oh quit your bitching! I've gotten my butt kicked by him multiple times in the past and you didn't see me whining!"

"But weren't you cryi-"

"I FUCKING SAID! You didn't see me whining! Besides, It's finally time for some goddamn payback! Just keep him still damnit!"

And with that he wound up a fist and struck you in the face, snapping your head to the side from the impact.

Huh.

Was that supposed to hurt?

That wasn't the last hit. Marcus continued to wail on you again and again, blows raining down on your face and your stomach. The entire time though you were wondering when he was actually going to start putting force behind his blows. As a minute passed though you felt you had had enough, and his apparent lackeys had started to slack on their grips. So as he pulled back to cock another punch you took a hard step forward with your right leg tearing it out from the grip of two separate kids and dragging the other seven off balance before rearing your head back and lashing it forward. Forehead met cartilage as you headbutted Marcus' nose and he let out a sharp cry and stumbled back.

"F-FUCK!"

"Shit he's breaking loose!"

Snapping back with your free leg you nailed one of the bullies holding your right arm right in the gut driving the air out from his lungs and weakening the force holding it in place just enough for you to twist it free. A quick punch to the chin of another holding your left arm had them dropping like a sack of potatoes. Which saw yourself free enough to pick up the two kids on your last held limb off the ground with both arms and tossing them into the few rushing forward to try and recapture you from behind.

From there it was hardly a challenge as you had finally adapted to the enclosed space and fighting within it. Again and again Marcus and the others would recover from your blows and try and come back into the fray to little avail. Honestly you don't think you even broke a sweat. Duck a punch there, step to the side from a kick there and grab the leg. Punch the thigh hard and spin kick the one trying to hammerfist you from behind in the side. Jump above a leg sweep and spinning backfist Marcus in the nose once again. Strafe backwards from a barrage of punches from three fronts, lightly pushing aside the hands that got too close before grabbing two different arms in an iron grip and pulling them together to hit heads and go down.

Eventually all there was were a bunch of groaning piles of limbs. Sighing, you brushed your hands against each other clapping off the dust and dirt from all that bunch of nothing.

"Man. That wasn't even a warmup. Anyway. Marcus. This is your final warning. Next time I won't hold back at all. Stop fucking around and doing this shit or else. Capisce?"

All you got was a low moan in response. You'd take that as him agreeing you'd guess. As you started to turn to go talk to Clarence you heard a clatter from your right. Looking to the side you saw Joline in the now open doorway of the bathroom, her phone having fallen from her hands.

"H-holy crap..."

"Oh hey Jol-"

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

That was as far as you got before she suddenly started screaming and turned around to run.

Well then.

Shit.

Nothing you could do then. Letting out a more weary sigh at this turn of events you turn around to Clarence who surprise surprise was still up against the wall. Man, he really needed to learn to take advantage of shit like this to get away or else it might just happen again. Giving the boy a put upon smile you walked closer and thanked god that he wasn't acting scared of you. Would make this much harder.

"Hey Clarence, how you doing buddy? Look, things got crazy and I know you don't wanna be here. They probably forced you here right? So why don't you take off and get going home before someone comes along okay?"

"O-okay Hector... I-I'll get going. T-thank you Hector."
Patting him on the shoulder you gave him a more sincere grin.

"No problem mate, someone has to stick up to these idiots anyway. Now come on and get going."

Waving goodbye to him as Clarence picked up his bookbag from where it was on the ground near the wall and left, you turned towards the bathroom sinks. Not even sparing a glance at the still groaning prone forms of the would-be bullies you walked up the the porcelain basins and looked into the mirror. Staring back at you were electric blue eyes set within what your mother told you was a handsome face. Long dark blonde hair framed it that had some pulled back into a ponytail that contrasted greatly to your olive skin tone.

From what you could see you only had a few scrapes and very very light bruises that weren't very prominent on you. Turning on the faucet you cupped your hands and let the cool water pool in them before bringing them up and splashing your face. A cold refreshing feeling spread throughout your body each time you repeated this and as you turned the faucet off and gazed into the mirror once more it seemed like the superficial injuries you had seen before had washed away.

Heh. You knew they were just a bunch of chumps. Several minutes of them wailing like toddlers at you and nothing to show for it... Shit several minutes! You mom was still waiting for you!

Running back to where you had dropped your stuff you just hoped she wasn't going to notice anything or be irate.

---

Soon enough you had made it outside the school and found yourself briskly walking towards a Red Honda Civic. It was actually brand new, just purchased that year after mom's old car broke down. It was really cool and it even still had that new car smell. Sitting in the driver's seat with the window rolled down and smoking a cigarette was the in your opinion most beautiful woman in the world. Sharing your blond hair if not the exact same shade and a few facial features like your eye shape and lips she was an absolute heartbreaker, or that's what you heard some of the men in your apartment building say before noticing you were near them.

Spoiler: Mom

As you got within a few feet of the car your mother noticed you finally with her eyes lighting up and a slight smile upturning her lips. Shaking off the collected ash on the tip of her cigarette she pinched it closed before putting it back into the pack she had on the dashboard.

Crossing in front of the vehicle you opened the passenger door while slinging your backpack into the backseat. Dropping within your own you closed the door behind you and quickly buckled the seatbelt. Looking back up at your mom you could see she had an expectant look on her face.

"Well... come on! Don't keep me in suspense my Little Stormcloud! How'd it go?"

Smiling at her prodding you kept silent for a few seconds more.

"Well... it definitely was hard at first... and then I got distracted halfway through..."

Hearing this her face dropped a bit with a slight measure of sadness slipping in. Seeing that you knew you had her.

"... But then I managed to grit my teeth and refocus. I managed to impress that dick Mr. Robinson! No more summer school and I can still continue all of my sports next year!"

The moment you finished talking you felt a sharp pain on your forehead hurting worse than any of the hits you took earlier.

"Ow!!!"

Looking up with tears stinging the corner of your eyes you saw your mom take her hand back from where she flicked you, a stern look on her face.

"What did I say about respecting your teachers and not cursing?"

"... to always show respect even if you don't mean it, and not to..."

"That's right! Still though..."

Her stern look quickly melted to one of pride and love as she reached over again with both arms to cup your face.

"I'm so proud of you. Good job."

Blushing you grumbled under your breath and tried to shake her hands off futilely. You couldn't get mad or upset with her no matter what she did. Ugh, you were such a momma's boy...

---

It was part way through the drive back home to your apartment that your mother spoke up again.

"So Hector, anything else happen at school today?"
Uh-oh. Your mom always seemed to have a sixth sense about when trouble happened to you. And she could sniff out a lie like a bear sniffs out a picnic basket. Thinking fast you said the first thing that popped into your mind.

"Um, no not really? I just... helped take out the trash before I finally left."

"Really? Awww, look at my precious son being so responsible."

Good. Looks like she bought it and wasn't going to follow up with any questions. Thank god. For the next few minutes silence hovered over you both in the car before mom spoke up again.

"So how does it feel to be almost 10 years old? Excited for tonight?"

Smiling at the reminder of the date and what you were going to do to celebrate you looked across to your mom as she kept her eyes focused on the road.

"Yup! I can't wait to go tonight, I'm finally graduating from being a little kid!"

Chuckling at you your mother finally pulled the car into the parking lot of your living complex.

"Well then you better get ready right away because the play starts in three hours and it's at least an hour long drive to the Children's Theatre Company. And you better make sure you shower young man!"

"Yesss Mooommm..."

Grabbing your pack from the backseat you both quickly dashed inside the building from the elements wreaking havoc on that day and within minutes found yourselves within the studio apartment your mother rented. You lived a pretty comfortable life all things considered even with the difficulties of a deadbeat dad and the issues your conditions caused. Your mother was actually a music composer who freelanced, and she was also a semi-professional singer too. She said that it was her looks that drew your father in and it was her voice that kept him long enough to have you. If only he could have stayed after your birth.

Making your way to your room you quickly opened and closed it behind you to find...

...An electric guitar on a stand in the corner next to an amp, an acoustic guitar hanging sideways on the wall above it, and a drum set in the opposite in the corner. A few other instruments like a flute, a saxophone, and a bass guitar dotted your abode alongside several pages of musical notes and tablature. Some were edits you made to songs you had heard and played before, while the occasional one or two were an amateur piece you had made a crack at. The apple didn't fall far from the tree and while you didn't have as big a passion for music nor talent as your mom did, you still enjoyed it enough. Plus it was fun to perform with her in the house occasionally.

Quickly shucking your clothes off you made your way to the bathroom and turned the shower on to maximum heat. You were gonna get in and out as quick as can be so you could get to the theatre as fast as you could. They were showing your favorite play after all and you and mom wouldn't miss the performance for the world, especially as a celebration for your birthday!

As you stepped into the steamy haze of scalding water that didn't do more than warm you up you started to hum under your breath a little lyrical line stuck in your head.

"I am the storm that is approaching...~"

An hour later and a fresh set of clothes, your hair tied back into a ponytail once again, had you and your mother striding to your seats within the amphitheater of the Children's Theatre Company for that year's first showing of the play 'Peter Pan'. It was something you were positively vibrating for in anticipation to see! Growing up you can't recall the number of time you had watched the cartoon movie of the story nor read the book itself. It was just something that simply spoke to you more than anything, a story of adventure and triumph in the face of evil following the exploits of a boy with the power to fly. Oh what you wouldn't give to be able to fly on your own power, to soar through the night sky and ride the breeze between clouds.

As soon as you settled down on the luxurious crimson cushions within the top box your mother had booked she drew you into her side with a hug as warm as a sunny summer day.

"I just want you to know I'm so proud of you my Little Stormcloud. You have it so tough and yet you always persevere. You always do your best. I know its hard not having a father around, but I want you to know that if your father was here he'd be just as proud of you. So I want you to enjoy tonight as much as you can. I love you so much."

The blush that had risen to your cheeks at her affection cooled a little as a flash of sorrow passed through your body. You quickly shook it off and brushed the slight tears forming in the corners of your eyes at the thoughts your mother's words had provoked. You'd always wondered about your dad. What he was like. Your mother generally was tight lipped and only said a handful of things about him in all the years you'd been alive. That he was a very important man leading a nation. That he had loved both you and her very much. That he didn't want to leave you both but he had no choice. Despite all those words though you always doubted, both him and the supposed truth she told you.

"I will mom. I love you too, and as long as I know I'm making you proud of me It doesn't matter at all if dad did too or if he hated me in the end."

As you said that her smile dipped only the slightest bit as a hard to read emotion shifted across her face.

"Always. I'll always be proud of you no matter what you do."

At that you both had nothing left to say and you settled down to enjoy the well practiced iteration of a tale about a free spirited boy and his fight against a dastardly evil pirate.

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it!"

"Boy, why are you crying?"

"Take care, lest an adventure is now offered you, which, if accepted, will plunge you in deepest woe."

"No matter how hard we try to be mature, we will always be a kid when we all get hurt and cry."

"All are keeping a sharp look-out in front, but none suspects that the danger may be creeping up behind."

"I'll hold you in my heart, until I can hold you in my arms."

"All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again."

As the lines of the theatrical ensemble were delivered time ceased to have meaning, and all doubts and heartache was put aside for the joy of the moment.

---

The play had been an amazing masterpiece in your opinion, and you were still absolutely buzzing with energy at the end of it as you held your mother's hand on the walk towards the back of the parking lot where you had left the car. You were so caught up in it you didn't even make a token protest at the action.

The sky was still storming though the rain and lightning had let up some, with the wind being the main proponent as you and mom made your way through it. The sky was dark and broiling with only the occasional rumble of thunder to break through the howling gales.

It was as you were almost at the parked vehicle that you felt it... something in the air. It was off. Shifting. Moving fast. Towards... you! Whipping your head around you saw it behind yourself as a crack of lightning lit up the world. Large. Furred. Haired. Scaled. Three sets of glowing eyes narrowed in anger and hate. Glinting teeth all set into a snarl. A rumbling roar rang out that shook your very bones followed by a heated bleat of a ram and the sibilant hiss of a snake.

Spoiler: Monster

You didn't even think on what to do, you didn't have the time to. You put yourself between it and your mother, bracing your body as you pushed her away just a little bit to the side to try and free her from what was to come. What followed was a blunt all encompassing pain as you flew through the air, the very force of the charge driving the breathe from your lungs, and then a sharp stabbing and crushing feeling as the sound of crumpling groaning metal and shattering glass resounded out into the night.

You screamed in agony, and followed by that was a blood curdling shriek that had your heart hammering wildly within your chest.

Mom!

Your eyes which you hadn't realized you had closed due to pain shot open as your senses were assaulted with overwhelming and contradictory information. You were looking up at the thundering clouds above as you laid within grasping metal confines. A quick glance had you see the scraped and chipped red coat of paint to the warped and broken metal, a slightly darker crimson tint coating it in patches. Your body didn't have any wounds though, and you had much more pressing matters.

Straining your body you pushed up and pulled away from your ramshackle prison, the clinking of glass shifting and your change in perspective framing the large creature once again in the faint streetlight of the lot, its amalgamation of different animals horrifying to see. On its multiple heads all locked onto you was an expression of malice and cruelty. You were frozen in place unable to move or take breath even after having just finally regained it from earlier. Then it started to laugh discordantly, sharp hissing clashing with the shifting bleats and steady rhythmic growls. The truly scary and surprising thing was that it started to speak.

"LOOK AT WHAT...""...We have here...""...A small tasty smelling Demigod...""...ALL ALONE...""...With no protection to see...""...How lucky for us!"

That finally shocked you enough to have air flow through you once more enough to speak.

"I-I... What? W-What are you! W-w-why did you attack us... What d-demigod?!"

A crackle lit up the sky as lightning struck down nearby in the distance. The creature started to predate lightly back and forth in front of you, never taking any eyes away for even a single second.

"AHAHAHA IT LOOKS...""...Like this one...""...Doesn't know what it...""...EVEN IS! BLAME...""...Your apparent Father...""...For the agony and terror...""...YOU ARE ABOUT TO...""...Experience and...""...what your other...""...PARENT HAS...""...Already felt..."

At those words your gaze shifted off to the side of the beast and that's when you saw her.

Lying facedown on the ground was your mother. She was still and you couldn't see her moving at all from where you were nor was she making any sounds. The dress she had worn to the play was torn up, and as another flash of light for just a moment lit the world brighter than midday you could see the blood peeking out and soaking the cloth.

Something within you snapped at that moment and for just a spell the storm had stopped entirely. Static filled your ears and fury your heart as the thrum of blood reached a crescendo in your head.

You were numb. Nothing felt real in that moment as that burning anger that had filled your veins an instant before became as cold as ice and as sharp as steel. Getting up and climbing to your feet fully from the wreckage of your mother's car you felt something hot run down your face, but you paid it no attention as you focused wholly and completely on the terrifying monster that had killed one of the brightest lights in your life. Every thought, every emotion, every impulse unrelated to killing the beast before you you pushed down deep inside yourself and buried within.

This thing would die, even if you yourself died trying.

"OH IS THE...""...Little Demigod Crying?""Don't worry because...""...ONCE I'M DONE...""...Devouring you I'll be...""...Kind enough to reunite...""...YOU WITH YOUR MOTHER...""...Inside my stomach."

Clenching your fists tighter than you ever had before you felt a twisting pain in your gut as your senses widened and sharpened taking in all around you. Rain was coming down heavier than ever, the ferocious gales tossing the torrents about, and constant lightning painted the sinfully black clouds above in brilliant contrast.

The horror in front of you crouched and poised itself, before suddenly pouncing at you with a roar and claws extended to rend flesh. It seemed to slowly sail on its arc in line with your position and you could make out the satisfied expressions on its faces. The downpour froze in place, the wind ceased to be, and no longer was there a cacophony of distant thunder.

Your gut twisted harder and suddenly it all came crashing back but even stronger. The sky had fallen down upon you it seemed as the beast was launched hard into the ground right before where you stood atop the ruined car hood, its Goat Head eye level and staring in shock into your gaze.

Said eyes narrowed as it opened its mouth to show an orange glow before instincts took over and had you dive off the wreckage, rolling upright on the pavement. Looking back you saw the cone of flames leaving its mouth where you had once been before cutting off and leaving only a few patches of still smoldering fire.
The Snake Head kept you in its sights as the body of the creature struggled to stand back up with the weight you could feel all around you yet nonexistent in effect on yourself. The Goat Head turned your direction once more as it did so and you started to run to the side to keep out of the now constant stream of fire following you, getting further away from where your mother's body was resting.

Preoccupied with staying unburnt you barely managed to notice in time that the beast had managed to get fully back up on its paws and only just managed to duck down to dodge another pounce from the Lion's Head and claws. As it landed on its front paws you had to strafe backwards to escape the sudden buck of goat hooves aimed back where you were.

A hiss was all the warning you were given to throw yourself to the side narrowly avoiding the fanged embrace of the Snake Head as it lashed out. Your gut twisted agonizingly once more as you spun from where you had landed on your hands and feet, swinging your arm out as your body turned towards the overextended reptilian neck. From it a faintly shimmering growing crescent of ephemeral wind flew forth growing in size and displacing the rain, before digging deeply into the flesh and scattering a fountain of blood.

The Snake Head hissed loudly in pain and withdrew by coiling up on itself, but you were already on your feet running towards the body of the monster just as another lance of heat struck where you once were. A now familiar feeling occurred once more as your gut clenched hard and sharply. The water pooling around you and also falling from the sky gathered before your extended hand aimed at the mouth of the blasted fire thrower, before exploding forth and piercing through the flames into the orifice, causing it to bleat out in pain as it was cut off with crimson stained fur.

Suddenly you jumped as the Lion Half turned sharply with claws lashing out to try and cut you. Your foot tapped the paw of its arm and you were sent flying even further up into the air, flipping your body around to keep it oriented towards the beast. You could see its furious murderous eyes glaring into your own as you again felt the all too common pain in your stomach flare once again.

Pulling your arms back as you continued your ascent the air started to become filled with shifting hazes of angular planes repelling the torrent of water, one by one growing in number until there was too many for you to count. The storm's gusts condensed into a brace of blades floating apart in the sky before you, and as your arms shot forward so too did the conjurations as they honed in onto the feline section with blistering speed.

One by one they embedded themselves within the tough flesh of the Lion's face before dissipating. Piece by piece, wound by wound, blood spatter by blood spatter the body of the beast was shook back step by step until nothing but blood and gore could be seen through the tufts of hair. The Goat Head bleated in panic as the Snake Head hissed and writhed in pain.

Landing from your accidental short flight you skidded across the ground while turning a circuit mid travel to never take your gaze off your enemy. It was slowly collecting itself once more though it was staggering as if unused to being only two heads with a mass of injured flesh.

It wasn't dead yet. That would change.

This entire fight your fury had been locked down tightly. Buried away so as to let you focus on the goal, the mission, to kill this monster in vengeance. But now it was loose escaping its confines, smelling the blood in the water as the beast drunkenly stumbled on its legs with the Lion's head hanging loosely down from its neck and dragging the body towards the ground and forwards. Your fists clenched once again in anger, in raw hatred causing warmth to pool in them and slowly trail through the gaps.

You started marching forward towards the beast from where you stood a good ways away from your last exchange. It had finally managed to marshal itself somewhat and now stood steady while the remaining two heads glared balefully at you. Snarling and hissing it started to do small jumps and hops around, its way of moving much more different than earlier, slowly getting closer to you as you yourself still approached it.

"You! You dare…""...Do this to us you…""...Pitiful sniveling demigod!!!""We will flay your…""...Skin and pulverize…""...Your bones into dust!""You will be tortured…""...For days unending…""...Your cries muffled from…""...Your torn out tongue!""You will beg for your…""...Death and it will come none…""... The closer as we bleed you drop…""...By drop into a pitiful wreck!""Pray to your Godly Parent…""...Be they Boreas or Poseidon!!!""For they will be unable to do anything to help."

With those threats and promises made the monster started to take larger hops skipping from angle to angle as it swiftly came towards you. You yourself had stopped the controlled pace from earlier as your blood was once more thrumming in your head and fury in your veins. You yelled, screaming to the heavens as you unleashed the agony within your heart as you ran full force towards the creature with feet pounding the pavement. As you did so the winds around you picked up, growing in speed and force as they started to swirl and circle around you and the area. Luckily so as they deflected and redirected blasts of fire from the Goat Head allowing you to continue your trajectory without having to adjust, change maneuvers, or slow down.

It was as you were only ten feet away from it that it once more jumped again, aiming to sail over yourself and land behind you and you weren't having any of that. A snarl twisting on your face you jumped with all your strength finding yourself set to collide with the Goat's Head at the peak of its own leap. As you neared the conclusion of such the Snake Head made its presence known once more as it lashed out at you where you were unable to dodge.

Fool, that only brought it closer to you and its own demise.

You spoke for the first time since the fight started, a shout filled with the entirety of your feelings. "Die!!!"

Rearing back your left arm you swung and spun shifting and rotating midair and adding torque to the motion and dodging the path of the Snake's lunge. Shortly after a loud explosion of air resounded, scattering the rain near you as your fist collided with the side of its head causing it to be launched away while you yourself were thrown down and to the side towards the shocked Goat's Head. Latching on your fingers dug into the skin of the beast letting you stick to it as it landed roughly due to the earlier altercation.

Shifting you gripped its neck with your legs tightly and let go with your hands. A red haze descended upon your vision as you started to lay blow on blow onto the deranged animal's head, ignoring the pain in your knuckles after each. It didn't matter to you how much it hurt or if you were breaking bones and tearing muscles doing it. You were going to exact your revenge and you were going to make it suffer as you did so. Pained bleats sounded out after each strike as blood started to spatter after each blow, the body starting to buck and hop and shake you off but you held on irregardless.

A hiss resounded through the twisting shifting gales around you and you felt more than saw the Snake Head finally recover enough to attempt to strike you once more. As if that would change anything but delay the outcome.

Reaching your hand out without looking at it you latched on the bottom of its jaw and pulled it forward setting it off balance and target. Shifting your body as you did so you guided the beast into biting its own neck of the Goat portion. It quickly reeled back hissing in pain while the other head shrieked in agony. Then it shrieked more and more as you continued to beat into it, started to tear into the flesh as well with clawed fingers, using the punctures as a starting point and growing it from there. Soon the shrieks died down into whimpers and finally silence. The entire body dropped then at it's apparent death and you jumped off from where you had sat to dodge another doomed for failure attack by the Snake Head.

Shaking your hands out you found your fury sated for now, but not near to being abated. Your angry gaze matched the one of the Snake's as it continued to hiss intelligibly at you.

Good. It knew what was coming.

Then something absolutely bizarre occurred. The Goat Head that you were sure was dead started to shift and move, trembling as a low almost silent bleat echoed out within the maelstrom of winds. Slowly but surely it raised to its full height from where it had hung limply, and its body did so once again as well. You could see in a flash of lightning that the wounds you had inflicted had scarred over and filled in some.

How annoying. You'd just have to make sure to give it a wound it couldn't recover from, and make sure the Lion's Head didn't either.

You didn't think the rage deep within you could grow beyond what it had reached but you were completely wrong. The thought that you couldn't kill this creature for what it had done to you, couldn't end it completely with its only memory being the agony you had put it through… it had your face set in a rictus of absolute maddening fury as you snarled out through the storm.

Your stomach set in the most agony you had ever felt in your life even beyond the only pain the beast had managed to inflict upon you this entire fight. It was as if you had been stabbed in the gut and the blade was being sawed throughout and around the entrance wound.

You screamed out at the beast. "I don't care if it is the last thing I do, you will die!"

"Many before you…""...Have tried and failed…""...To kill I The Chimera!""You will be the next…""...and an example made to all who follow!!!" It snarled, flames being shot out at you after by the Goat Head. But they failed to reach you.

The winds all around you picked up in a furor, their speed and force eclipsing anything from before as they spun around and merged upon each other. Compressing and tightening the invisible gales slowly came into sight as they grew in size. Rotating below the heavens spun to match as they descended to touch the ground below. Before long a thin pillar of dark spinning air had risen to the heavens like a monument of your anger. A tornado of such power a sharp shrill whistle pierced the air in spite of its seeming small appearance.

You could no longer see 'The Chimera' as it had named itself in its pitiful excuse for last words. You could only just barely make out the shrieking bleating of the Goat Head, the agonized hissing of the Snake Head, and near the end the panicked roars of the Lion Head.
But in the end there was silence and as the pressure in your stomach lightened the evidence of your wrath made physical in form dissipated. As you finally were able to see through the opaque cover that natural phenomenon had made you could make out faintly glittering sparkles following the path of the breeze before disappearing, but no body of the beast.

It was over. You did it. And now all that was left over from the flames of your feelings was a growing grasping cold void as exhaustion hit you with the force of a speeding truck almost causing you to fall to your knees.

Why. Why did this have to happen?

Trying to collect yourself you turned away from where YOU had killed 'The Chimera'. And you knew it was you beyond the instincts that had you pulling off crazy feats beyond just jumping around and punching as hard as you could. You could feel it in your bones, a certainty of the entire situation.

This wasn't a horrible nightmare for you to wake from. Nor were the strange abilities or phenomenon that occurred from and to the beast merely just freak weather or the result of someone or something else. It was you. That strange pull and twist in your gut every time something strange happened.

'Demigod' it had called you. What… what did it mean? You? A Demigod? You hadn't noticed or done anything that could have hinted or shown of any abilities or powers beyond being a normal kid all these years! Your mother had never said or referenced anything about being a Goddess herself nor anything about knowing this about your dad. So how? And why did this all come to a head now to expose this facet of your heritage and self?

As your gaze found the wreck of the car once more you could see small flickering flames still alive despite all the wind and rain from before, and the still occurring rain and wind from the storm that had yet to lessen let alone disperse. Many of the cars all around had various amounts of damage and many of the parking lot lights had been destroyed leaving the entire area covered in darkness only slightly pushed back by the fires dotting the area.

Before you a distance away was the still present form of your Mother's body, not having been moved or affected by this entire situation beyond the initial hit that had… that had… affected her so. It was a miracle nothing had happened to it… if only the miracle could have been something more hopeful.

Your muscles screamed at you in pain from what you had put them through earlier, protesting any motion beyond staying completely still. Step by step you stumbled towards her. Tears… you weren't sure you were crying. You were numb. But still sobs managed to break through as you got closer and closer and could see the puddle of blood that had spread from her. Her flesh paled in even the current lack of proper lighting. She looked so fragile like that. It hurt just to look at her.

'Come on Hector. You remember the stories you've heard before. Demigods… don't cry…'

As you finally reached her your legs finally gave up from their lack of strength causing you to fall to your knees over her. Your body was wracked with spasms as you wept and wailed and the rain increased in response to it. Her skin was cold to the touch and her body was barely shifting from her breathing…

Breathing?

"H-Hector… H-H-Hector…"

It was as if lightning shot through your spine. Your mother… she was alive!!! Your heart soared in exultation as that fact made itself known. Hope laid its warm gentle hands on your very soul with this knowledge.

"Mom! You're okay! Y-you're not dead!" Your hands shifted and drifted up from where they had lain across her torso and gently grasped her face in your hands. Cold and soaked with rain like you and everything else was, but beyond it was the faintest of warmth alongside the subtle movements of something alive. Stroking her cheeks with your thumb you shifted her face towards you, glimpsing her half open eyes as they moved around behind her eyelashes.

That wasn't good. You knew she shouldn't have been fine after that debacle even with what you did to try and save her but still… what if it was only delayed? What if death hung over her even now with nothing you could do to ward it away?! No. You wouldn't let it. It wouldn't take her, it would have to go through you first before it could.

"H-Hector…"

"It's okay mom. Everything's fine, it's going to be fine. The monster is dead. I killed it."

"Hector, sweetie… listen to me… h-have to… away… only… safe…"

Your mother was clearly in pain and her voice would dip and raise without any reason. This was bad, very bad. You had to do something! But what could you do? You didn't know first aid - and any chance you had in future after this you would desperately change that fact - and your apparent Divine Powers were only good for controlling the air and water… maybe something with that? Your mother's voice quickly broke you out of your reverie having managed to find a hidden strength to steel itself with.

"Hector! Listen… Gods… are real… Your father was one. He… couldn't be here for us… because of laws… loved you… now that you know… can't hide from the monsters… they'll come for you… Not safe… have to… away. Go… safer… that way. Promise me…"

"Mom?! Mom!"

Whatever strength she had mustered had quickly failed her halfway into her lecture as she started to fade away again. Dammit! You weren't going to let her die! Not the woman who would stay up all night to keep you safe from the natterheads and spilnerlings hiding in your closet and under your bed! Not the woman who would make you a lunch everyday for school with a handwritten note, with something different everyday but always ending with "I love you"! Not the woman who made sure to be at every game and competition you were in!

"Hector… Promise…"

But still… you weren't safe. It was like she said, it wasn't safe with you here. Apparently knowing your own hidden nature now made it worse. You were a danger to her just by being around her. You had to leave her to save her. But… not like this. You carefully, oh so carefully, drew her form into your embrace despite your own bout of weakness. You draped her arms around your neck to help steady her while hooking an arm under her knees. Struggling you stood up shakily.

"I promise mom… I promise that after this I'll leave you alone for as long as it takes to keep you safe."

"H-hector…" She shifted in your grasp slightly, her arms tightening ever so but to no difference.

"I love you, and everything is going to be alright from now. I promise that too."

And with that, you set off...

You didn't have long. Both for yourself and for your mother. You needed rest and time to regain your strength properly, and she needed professional medical attention or else she wasn't going to survive the night. Time was the issue. So was where… goddammit if only you could have paid enough attention when your mother drove to remember where that hospital on East 4th Street by Clemence Lane near Highway 78 Exit B was!

Wait… you did remember where it was… that's strange considering your Ad/HD and Dyslexia. Still now wasn't the time, you had to hurry! But there was so much in the way between here and there. You didn't have a car anymore and even if you did you didn't know how to drive. Between traffic, a lack of phone, all the buildings and streets with a less than direct path to here… you wouldn't make it by running there normally and no ambulance would get here in time.

If only you could fly!

That's when you felt it once again, that overly familiar sensation in your stomach as if it was turning in on itself. It was strange, as soon as the feeling faded all it left you was the sensation of weightlessness. It was as if you… were… floating…

Looking down you could see your feet had left the ground and that you were hovering above the pavement. Little swirls of air wrapped around and pushed off your legs and away from your feet. You were flying! You could be excited over this later though. For now you had a hospital to get to. As soon as you had thought to move you shot off into the sky, rain moving around you as you swiftly carved an arc into the air. With unnatural speed you soared between buildings as the city lights and traffic passed underneath you. Within minutes you had landed in front of Saint Carmichael's Regional Health Center, just outside of the ER.

It was going to be alright. Everything was finally going to be fine.

Thank god.

"Help!!! I need Help! Medic! Doctor! Nurse!!!"

---

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just another of my Quests I'm transferring over here.

Anyways this isn't my first Quest, in fact I have several others I'll be making story only threads over here for.

Anyways, I hope to one day devote my full time to writing various fics and quests as I have lots of ideas to use yet let alone ones I've already started. The extra time would also let me focus on more stories at once based on my readers voting for it, instead of what my inspiration has a liking for. For those interested in helping support me to write more, here's my Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/Maletotheficarum/membership

 

[Maleficarum]

Heavy Lies the Crown…

A bastardized colloquialism of a line from one of the many plays that one Shakespeare fellow had written - Henry the IV if he recalled correctly - but one that often fit quite aptly in Zeus' opinion. Walking along the clouds of this particular state he ruminated over his past. True, there were many perks in being a God and more being the King of them all. Yet with all the freedoms he had, all the power it gave him, there was so much more that the mortals overlooked. Ancient Laws, Historic Responsibilities.

Many knew of the roles his son and daughter played in charting the course of the sun and the moon each day, yet they discounted any others from having such pivotal tasks to see through for the world. Even his own domain of Law was seen more as an attribute of his position as King and one that he abused. Which he might on occasion… but that was besides the point!

All Gods and Goddesses oversaw a multitude of things regarding their domains, rituals and events they had to perform, to keep the world running normally. And it had only gotten worse as the mortals grew and expanded, requiring even more and more countermeasures and stopgaps to keep everything running smoothly! Why, he could only laze about half the time, and even then that wasn't always consistent.

Sighing Zeus ran a hand through his dark and thick beard, straightening a few curls here and there. Looking around where he was, he peered past the darkening clouds near him as if they weren't there to gaze upon the world. Currently Zeus had disguised his current walk about as a checkup on said responsibilities to make sure everything was fine. In reality, well… He was making a special stormcloud for his son's birthday. His little baby boy… Hector…

He couldn't do much often for his children, especially should they still be unaware of their heritage, but he still tried. Every year near their day of birth he'd send a storm to where they were generally. Not enough to tip his hand and alert anyone, but just enough to show his care.

"Let's see here… That looks like the Foshay Towers over there, so I must be in the right area. Good. No need to waste time."

Straightening his dark suit, Zeus took a breath and then flexed, the clouds around him steadily going from the darker grey they were earlier to near pitch black. Lightning shifted and struck within them, and thunder boomed loudly into the air. Zeus was just glad his son was born during one of the more tempestuous months of Minnesota, or else he wouldn't be able to go all out for this as he was.

"Happy Birthday, my son."

Soon enough the entire city was covered in large dark storm clouds and rain was pelting the area down below. Fashioning a throne of clouds to sit in, he relaxed and cast his gaze down below while conjuring a goblet of wine to sip from. He had some time still away from Hera who was in one of her worse moods, and he had no other things to see for the day. He could just relax, look upon his son, and gaze upon the woman who had managed to capture his heart those many years ago.

---

She was still in college at the time, working on getting her Bachelor's in Musical Composition. While true it was her beauty that drew him to her in the first place, never let it be said that Zeus did not appreciate a true artist. Katherine Lawrence truly was a talented musician & composer and listening to her as she created music brought him back to the time when he had his own stint in the arts.

In the olden days when he posed as a Titan and was unwittingly hired on by his father Kronos to be an entertainer. He would sing, dance, and jape with great skill keeping Kronos & the other Titans entertained and distracted, until he managed to enact his plan to free his siblings from his father's fetid gut. Truly she was good enough that Zeus expected if he didn't have his own vested interest in her his son Apollo would have found his way to her.

Sometimes Zeus wished his domains included the arts so he'd have more reason to be invested in them, but alas that fell under his son's purview. The closest he would get to it would be vicariously through his paramours over the years, of which in these recent centuries were those invested in the arts. Just like the mother of his… other children. Bah, enough thoughts of that! What kind of father would he be if he focused on his other family on the day of his son's birth?

Taking a deep draugut from his glass, Zeus focused his gaze upon the two he wished he could have spent more time with. They had just arrived to the apartment they lived in and were making their way to their rooms. Sighing Zeus wished he could do more for them both, he ha offered mansions and riches to his beautiful Kate, but she had staunchly refused everytime he brought it up. It was just another reason he loved her so.

If he was honest to himself more so than his other mortal lover. If only he could go back to her, to be with his son and to sire another child with her. He loved his second born son Jason, but because of him he had to step even more carefully around Hera. Even then he still had to do even more, knowing and dreading what Hera forced him to do with his son in the next years

Focusing on his firstborn, Zeus saw that while he was in the midst of changing he was messing around with one of the instruments in his room, bringing a smile to Zeus' face. Eyes crinkling with pride as he saw the well practiced motions as Hector played the strings of a Guitar, he hoped he never lost his love for music. So few Demigods ever maintained them outside ones associated with their Divine Parents' Domains.

Soon after Hector and Kate were back in their care and driving away. Within a pittance of time the both of them were already walking into a Theatre. Rising from his throne Zeus silently transported himself into the very same building, finding seating in a separate top box than that of the two of them. Settling in with a fresh glass of alcohol, this time a smokey flavored whiskey. Zeus wondered what exactly would be enacted upon the stage with mild interest.

Not too long after that thought the curtains were drawn back and the play began.

---

As the applause died down in the amphitheater Zeus found himself impressed. Not so much with the actors or actresses, though that wasn't to say they weren't good. Merely that having lived as long as he had he'd seen the true greats of the world on the stage orating with such passion that he truly was drawn into the performance himself. No, what impressed him so much was the play itself. The story was perhaps a slight bit childish one could argue but the narrative, the beats of the action and progression, were very well made. And the whole concept behind the world it was set in alongside the characters were very imaginative. Mortals truly did surprise him from time to time. But that shouldn't have been one considering all that's happened in the past.

As the audience started to rise from their seats Zeus made his exit, once more residing amongst the clouds in the sky, lounging upon a throne of the cumulus nimbus. Gaze resting upon his family he felt content. Like everything was right with the world.

That of course was when the fates decided to correct that false assumption. Within seconds Zeus saw it, a monster. The first to have ever been near Hector, a surprising fact considering how strong his Godly Scent was. Zeus recognized it. Child of Typhon and Echidna, a most foul beast and one of the greatest known monsters of the world. Chimera. How was it here?! How did it find its way to his son?! Like quicksilver as these thoughts raced Zeus' mind the Chimera dashed and struck, and he leapt at the action.

"NO!!!"

Thunder boomed and Lightning flashed at his rage. As he gazed upon the scene he saw his son react, turning around eyes widening at what he saw, before managing to push his mother aside. Then it was dark again as the lightning's illumination disappeared. Fists clenched Zeus didn't dare look away. He saw her, dear Katherine laying motionless upon the ground. He could immediately tell she still lived even if wounded. Eyes darting to the side he saw Hector, his baby boy, encased within the remnants of their car… not looking injured at all. The breath he had been holding eased as he saw the boy pry himself from the wreckage. The child had a few cuts and scrapes but they weren't large and… were in fact slowly closing at a visible pace.

That… was strange. Unnatural. That shouldn't have occurred but before he could focus more on it Zeus found his attention drawn to the fight as the Chimera made to dash at his son. Before he could react anymore than the slightest of tensing he felt a change in the sky, as another's hand found its way grasping upon the storm. He wouldn't be able to confuse who was doing it for anyone else.

Watching Zeus saw as his son pulled upon it and then pushed it down around himself, increasing the pressure and weight acting on everything around him including the Chimera mid jump grounding it prematurely. And from there the fight truly was on.
Cheering as he saw his son dodge flames and dash around without being touched by a single tongue of the fire, similarly dodging another leap, buck, and then bite from the Snake's Head Tail of the beast.

"That's my boy!!!"

Zeus' cheering grew even louder as he saw and felt Hector gather the winds around him, forming it into a crescent that split the flesh of the reptilian aspect of the monster. The cheering then petered to a stop as he saw his son dodge another jet of flames before he gathers the bountiful rainwater around him with his divine power, and launche it into the Goat Head's open mouth.

"That… how?"

The fight was a slight blur from that point on to Zeus, as he saw Hector proceed to do more amazing things such as crafting a barrage of blades shaped from the wind to pierce and kill the Lion's Head to dispersing any more volleys of fire with the winds around him, even managing to display his godly might as he manhandled it with his strength and pummeling the Goat's Head into ichor & splayed flesh. Zeus worried for a moment as he saw the beast recuperate from its wounds only to have his pride and excitement trickle back in as he felt his son's grasp on the storm widen yet tighten at the same time, pulling into existence an amazing concentrated tornado. A great first attempt at one, especially for a Demigod's first time really using their powers.

Within the confines of the twisters Zeus saw as the winds ground it down far faster than it could resist or regenerate from. Gold dust flaking off its form as it was reduced to smaller and smaller portions before all that was left was a Scaled Pelt with Fur Trimming and a decorative Lion's Head. His son's first Spoil of War. A thought struck him and while bending the rules quite a bit, the current tornado slowly dissipating could be considered a connection to him who was so near and within it an offering.

Gathering it up he gave a glance towards Hector as he stumbled to his mother, crying, before pulling her up in his arms and using the winds to carry them both off. After his son set down in front of a Hospital Zeus stopped paying attention and made his way back to Olympus. Hephaestus should be able to help him out with what was required. Still… his son's triumphs and strength weren't the only thing on his mind. Water… why and how…

---

Author's Note: Here is an Interlude to bridge the gap between chapters, and give some perspective on the gods and slight AU of this world. Anyways, as always please help support me if you love seeing this kind of content, any bit helps and continual support will let me write more and more often. Be it in this Story/Quest, Other Old Ones, or New Ones.

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