Another Chance

Battle of Wits

We spent two days on the train to Los Angeles. Of course, I knew we wouldn't be able to make it to our intended destination because of the fiasco with Echidna and Chimera, but I wanted to relax while I still had the chance.

Medusa had, coincidently, given us exactly 200$ which could only buy us tickets up to Denver. No doubt, the work of the three shriveled hags. The Fates, by the way, not the Furies.

I was probably the most relaxed out of our little trio. I could sense the nervousness radiating out of Grover, who twitched and muttered incoherent words in his sleep. Annabeth, too, was tense, her ADHD acting up more so than usual. She spent most of the trip deep in thought while tapping her feet on the floor, or sleeping.

I felt proud when I noticed that I was the only one collected and confident on the quest. Then I remembered I knew what was going to happen while my friends didn't. I didn't feel proud anymore.

At one point during the journey, while Annabeth and Grover were out cold, I decided to practice my umbrakinesis. I concentrated on a patch of shadows underneath Grover's seat and felt a tiny tug in my gut. It was comically small and I probably wouldn't have noticed it if wasn't as quiet as it was.

I frowned, subconsciously comparing the pull with that of my Hydrokinetic powers. The tug when I would use my inherent water powers was marginally greater than what I felt for the same amount of water. Then again, however great my hydrokinetic abilities were, they would invariably pale in comparison to a blessing from an elder protogenos.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that one. On one hand, I had cool shadow powers rivaling a minor god's, but on the other hand, I wasn't too comfortable with my powers over another domain surpassing my inherent elemental one, seeing I was a prince of the seas, second-in-line to the throne.

I ignored my skepticism and focused on the task at hand. I willed the shadows to turn into a sphere. The umbrae responded to my will almost immediately. I grinned, excited at the prospect of a cool new power, and willed the sphere into a pen, a slightly more complex design. The tug in my gut increased considerably as I gasped from the strain.

For some reason, the clump of shadows seemed to resist me, like they had a mind of their own. I narrowed my eyes in challenge as I increased my efforts, my gut throbbing in pain from the tug, but the stupid patch of Night didn't seem to budge.

Wait. Night.

I groaned audibly as understanding dawned on me and I facepalmed. The shadows flitted around as if mocking me before they turned into a hand and flipped me off.

I huffed and blew a strand of hair over my eyes. "Fuck you too, Nyx," I grumbled.

I heard a faint snicker echo in my mind before a smile tugged on my face.

I sighed and leaned into my seat, absentmindedly making simple shapes from the shadows, which were now free from the control of the annoying deity. I couldn't sense any excess of vapor in my vicinity, so it was evident that the Olympians were not watching over us at the moment.

I glanced towards my napping friends, observing them silently. No, I was not being a creep, I was simply taken aback at how young my companions looked. Of course, years of trauma while being a pawn of the gods would change anyone, but I was still astounded by how much.

I exhaled and gazed out the window. The planes of wheat were racing the past as the train brought us closer to our destination. My stomach growled in hunger as I turned a bit red from embarrassment. Fortunately, the daughter of Athena wasn't awake or she would never have let me live it down.