"There aren't many people in the camp who can give Annie a run for her money like that," Luke said. His stare was intense.
I felt like I was a weapon being examined closely.
"To have reflexes and intuition like that without any proper training is nothing short of a miracle."
"Thanks, man," I replied with a grin. I offered Annabeth my hand. She took it, and I pulled her up. We walked over to Luke together.
"I think Annie swung you by our table last night, but I don't think we got the chance to talk for too long. Luke Castellan," He said, offering me his hand.
"Son of Hermes." I shook it, "Percy Jackson."
"Tell you what, Percy," Luke said, scuffing his sandal against the ground to get some dirt out. His eyes traced Riptide, down to its hilt.
"You've got some potential. And trust me, I don't say that lightly. I think it would be good to have another master at camp.
Come train with me every morning and we'll make it happen in no time. What do you say?"
— - —
Quest Alert!
[SIDE QUEST] {Student of the Game [II]}
[Quest Prompt]: You've caught the attention of Luke Castellan, renowned throughout Camp Half-Blood for his unmatched skill with a blade. Rumor has it he can slice through monsters like they're made of paper, and his reflexes rival those of the gods themselves.
Now, he's offering you the rare opportunity to train directly under his guidance.
[Total Possible Rewards]:
[Variable] boost in reputation!
[+][5,000][EXP]!
[+][15][DEX]!
Please select: [YES/NO]
— - —
I clicked yes. "I'm down," I replied to him.
"I want all the training I can get."
"Good," Luke complimented, ruffling Annabeth's hair. She turned as red as the strawberry fields across camp. Now then, lunch?"
Lunch it is. The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was back at my cabin for bed. Well, not actually in my cabin, and I wasn't getting ready for bed, per se. I was sitting outside, on the dock where I'd had my conversation with Poseidon.
The moon hung high over the Long Island water, and I could hear the sounds of all of the wildlife through the stillness of the night. I was sitting with my legs crossed in a lotus position, eyes closed. I was taking deep breaths, trying to slow my breathing and calm myself down. I wanted to see if I could naturally feel the mana of living things around me without relying on my powers, like some sort of crutch.
Plus, it helped that if there was anything I knew I wanted to improve, it was my [Mana Detection]. The skill was basically a warning system, and if what my dad told me was any indication, I'd need it on my quest.
Based on what I could tell, all living things had different amounts. You know, like animals and humans, even monsters. I was hoping improving the skill would let me detect monsters in my quest and get the drop on them. Sort of a what's up, bitch sneak-attack type of thing.
Okay. Focus. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. In. Out. In. Out.
After a few minutes, I realized this wasn't working. Sitting still didn't come easily to me at all, which was probably my dad's fault. I don't think the sea likes to be restrained, and neither do I. I got bored of waiting around and decided to fast-track the whole process.
"[Mana Detection], activate," I mumbled under my breath, and the world suddenly lost all color. It became gray, except for slivers of white that floated through the air. I stood up a bit and looked around. I took a glance towards the stables and saw the pegasi outlined in a whitish color that was more off-white rather than the bright white humans had.
Some of the harpies flying across camp were a greenish color. I could make out the blue-ish forms of those girls I'd seen in the water earlier today—the ones Annabeth had told me about. Naiads, I think?
A few more moments passed, and I had to abruptly shut off the skill. My vision had lit up with a pillar of golden energy—the only other person I'd seen with that kind of energy was my father. That meant that there was a god nearby.
There was a searing pain in my left eye. Whatever this source of mana was, it was coming from the middle of the courtyard. I walked over quietly, ignoring the cries of the harpies that patrolled camp at night to make sure campers weren't out past curfew. If one of those little feathered freaks found me, this mystery deity would be the least of my worries. In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit.
Even though it was a fairly warm night, the hearth smoldered.
A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.
— - —
{Hestia} [Goddess of the Hearth]
[LVL]: ?
[HP]: ?
[MP]: ?
[?]
— - —
Hestia? I'll admit, in my limited knowledge of the Greek world so far, I'm not too familiar with her. Even when Chiron came to teach me at Yancy, he'd never really mentioned her at all. All that I really know about her is that she used to be an Olympian, but gave up her seat for Dionysus, I think? Beats me.
— - —
Quest Alert!
[SIDE QUEST] {We are the Champions!}
[Quest Prompt]: You've spotted Hestia, the usually unassuming goddess of the hearth, sitting quietly in the center of Camp HalfBlood all by herself. Approach her and strike up a conversation —there may be more to her presence than meets the eye.
[Total Possible Rewards]:
[+][1000][REP] with Hestia!
[+][2000][EXP]!
[+][5][AP]!
[?]
Please select: [YES/NO]
— - —
If you enjoyed this chapter, remember: every 300 power stones unlocks a bonus chapter, so your support really helps keep the story rolling. And if you want to go further, you can also support me on Patreon: patreon.com/Aurelius DBlack
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