Quest of the Half Gods

Chapter 3: Γαλάτεια

The group left the hotel and set out to explore Quebec. Since their meeting, Galatea could feel the eyes of Hazel Levesque on her the entire time, her amber gold eyes narrowed in thought. "So your mother is Hecate?" She asked, moving to walk in tandem with Teia. "Yup." Hazel nodded, "She trained me to become a sorceress." Galatea had to keep herself from snorting. Surprised she didn't push you off on one of us. "Cool." Hazel nodded again, "You don't look very much like her." Galatea hid a smirk, "I've been told that I resemble my father, though, I get the color of my eyes from neither. They were a- a gift from Aphrodite from when I was blessed by the gods as a child." "What did your father look like?" Hazel asked. This girl asks way too many questions. "He looked like me." Hazel squinted at her, "Is he still alive?" Galatea laughed bitterly, "He died over five hundred years ago a few years after I was born you see. The life expectancy in the 1500s was very different than what it is now." Hazel's eyes widened, "I thought I was old." Galatea raised an eyebrow and turned away. She could see why Hades had spoken so highly of Hazel when she'd first seen her. Galatea could remember the day as though it were yesterday.

Galatea was around fifteen in the memory. Not actually fifteen, but appearing to be fifteen. Galatea remained naïve and child-like for hundreds of years after her birth. In fact, it wasn't until she'd started spending all of her time with Apollo that she'd matured. One of them had to be.

When she was younger her mother let her have free range around the realms of the gods. Her mother's noose of control grew stronger only as she grew older and more self aware.

Her favorite of all the places to explore was the Underworld, the realm of the gods she loved the most: Persephone and Hades. The couple had never hesitated to train her and entertain her when she was alone. Persephone taught her how to strengthen her powers over plants and Hades to see ghosts. He'd do this by taking her to the Fields of Asphodel and getting her to use her powers of necromancy to awaken their spirit and return their memories briefly to them.

On this specific day, Hades and fifteen year old Galatea approached the Fields. Galatea's eyes wandered from the drab scene and over to Elysium and the Isles of the Blest where the sun shone brightly. Hades placed a hand gently on her shoulder and turned her attention to the fields.

"Today Galatea we will be doing something a little bit more challenging." "What's that?" She asked. "You will be manipulating the mind of a demigod, a very powerful one I might add. Her name is Haze Levesque. She's my own daughter." Galatea widened her eyes, " I didn't know you had any demigod children!" "It is very rare that I have children with a mortal Γλυκίνη, but I do in fact have three. Two are still living though this one unfortunately met her end at a young age. She was thirteen." "How'd she die?" Galatea asked as they stopped in the field in front of a girl with curly brown hair and foggy eyes. "She sacrificed herself to save the world from Gaea." Galatea studied the girl, impressed. "That is heroic!" Hades laughed, "Yes little one. Now, show Hazel what you can do." Galatea narrowed her eyes and raised her hands, focusing on the girl and muttering in Ancient Greek. The girl's eyes cleared and she focused her gold eyes on Galatea.

"Galatea?" She snapped out of her memory and looked up at Apollo who had called to her. "Yeah? What's wrong?" Hazel and Frank exchanged an inquisitive glance while Apollo frowned, "You spaced out for a while." Galatea tensed her jaw, "I was thinking. I think I have an idea."

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The group stood outside the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec. It was a large concrete building that was somewhat submerged in earth.

Galatea turned to her companions, "Do any of you speak French?" Frank nodded, "A little." Galatea stood aside and made a dramatic sweeping gesture, demonstrating that he was now in charge. He took a breath nervously and went up to the admissions desk.

A few minutes later they'd split up, Hazel with Frank and Galatea with Apollo.

"Look at us," Apollo said, peering at different works around them. "Exploring just the two of us." He threw an arm around Galatea and gestured with his other, "Like old times!" Teia raised an eyebrow, "It's been five minutes." Apollo sighed and wandered away. Galatea watched him go, the dull ache in her heart returning.

They looked around for over an hour to no avail. Galatea signed, moving to yet another section where she anticipated finding nothing as usual. She scanned the room, avoiding various tourists as she paced the room before her one painting caught her eye.

She approached the painting and inspected it. It was a painting of a dark room, the only light coming from a fire place that sat in the middle wall, clearly the main focus of the painting. Galatea looked closer, her eyes widening as she realized that the face of a girl could be seen in the flames of the painting, skillfully concealed in the colors. She felt the blood leave her face. "The home cries out for life." She whispered out loud. She looked down at the title of the painting and her worst dreams were confirmed.

As she opened her mouth to call for Apollo, she was distracted by a noise behind her. She turned, scanning the room for the cause of the noise. She knew that the room was full of tourists and they could've been the cause of the noise, but she also knew this particular sound. It was distorted and echoey, like a memory you can't remember. "Spirits." She muttered.

She looked at the corridor to her right which stood empty. Suddenly, a violet shape shimmered into existence. A boy, ran down the hall, laughing at someone who couldn't be seen. Galatea started to run after him when Apollo ran into the corridor.

"Galatea!" He shouted, out of breath. Galatea's eyes widened when she looked at him. He was covered in blood, maybe his own, maybe not. "What's going on?" "Dragur. Norse zombie creature things. Hazel and Frank got an Iris message from Camp Jupiter that something is happening there so they left, we need to get out of here." Galatea looked back down the corridor, "Apollo it's-"

A strange gurgling moan came from down the hall and the lights in the museum shut off as screams came from other floors. "They found us." Apollo whispered, his glowing sword their only light. Galatea drew her bow, nocking an arrow and together they made their way through the museum and back to the light.