The New Demigods

Chapter 28: The Ones Before Us

"Hestia?" Peyton looked as confused as the rest of us. "That doesn't make any sense, how did you get here?"

"The same way you did, I'm sure. Snatched up by the Gods of Olympus, trained as their 'last hope' and then sent here to die." Haku smiled weakly, as if discussing common facts. "Admittedly, I thought I was the last of the fake demigods, but it makes sense that they would just try again. Who knows how many times they tried before us."

"You came with a group? What happened to them?"

Haku's smile faded and he took on a stern expression as he recounted his past. He had been transported to the quest using the same vortex in the forest, accompanied by 11 other demigods. His group was made up of the twelve gods of Olympus, but Hestia had taken Demeter's place as she refused to participate. Dakotah nodded in agreement, as she knew Demeter was against the quest. Haku and the other demigods had trained together on Olympus, forming strong bonds that started to crumple as they searched for the relic.

Unlike our group, they didn't divide when they first arrived, instead they worked as a team to search for the relic. They slayed the chimera with ease before entering the maze. After spending a couple of hours scouring the maze, they found what they thought was the exit. Rushing out in celebration, they didn't see the Hydra. It devoured the tributes of Hera, Hephaestus, and Poseidon in one foul swoop of its heads. Hailie and Peyton shuddered at the thought. The Hydra was able to severely injure Athena's and Dionysus's demigods before finally being slain. Zeus's tribute was not the same after that, as he blamed himself for the death of Hera's tribute, his girlfriend.

"Huh, what a coincidence. Zeus and Hera's tributes are dating in our group too." Peyton commented.

"Zach is capable of love?" Horace scoffed, crossing his arms.

Peyton glared at Horace's comment. I was surprised she would be offended on Zach's behalf, and it made me wonder why her group split up from him in the first place.

"I don't think it's a coincidence at all." Haku broke the tension. "The longer we spent on Olympus the more we seemed to forget our old life and take on the qualities of our mentors. I saw it even in myself. I was an electrical engineer before Olympus and now I know more about architecture than something I studied for years."

"Before Olympus?" I stumbled over the question. "You- you know what your life was like before Olympus?" We all leaned in closer to Haku.

"Yes, of course. It seems like a lifetime ago now, but I still remember most things, I think." His eyes shifted and brows furrowed, thinking about his past life.

"Were you the only one in your group with memories?"

"No, we all had them... why do you not?"

"No, none of us remember our lives before Olympus."

Haku's eyes widened in surprise.

My head was spinning with confusion, I took a seat on the edge of the wall, my legs had gone numb. A pit in my stomach was growing. The gods had chosen to wipe our memories, a completely optional choice to erase the names and faces of my loved ones. How could Gaia do that to me?

"So what happened to the rest of the demigods? Do you know where the relic is?" Akira pressed on, seeming the least shaken by this new information.

Haku continued his story, recounting how his group made the realization that there were multiple entrances to the maze and that the relic had to be at the centre. Being a tribute of Hestia, he had a knack for navigating the maze using his memory of the seemingly identical corridors.

Then the Minotaur found them. Athena's tribute was the first to be torn apart by the Minotaur, unable to outrun it due to her injuries from the Hydra. While fleeing, Hermes's tribute had taken the lead, being the fastest of the group, but he took a turn down a deadend while Haku led the rest of the tributes. The Minotaur followed Hermes's demigod instead of the group and Haku heard his screams echo through the maze.