Days And Nights (Book of Life and Maya and the Three One Shots)

Practice

Zatz gets into a little trouble while practicing his powers earning a little lecture from Camazotz.

Zatz had no problem with misbehaving in the Underworld, especially around some of the other gods, as they terrified him enough not to step out of line.

This doesn't mean that Zatz hasn't had his fair share of mischief, which is usually by accident.

Once it was discovered that Zatz had indeed inherited some of his father's powers, he didn't hesitate to start practicing. 

When a god discovers a new power, it happens at random with no willpower. They would have to figure out how to tap into the power on their own. Once they figured out how to tap into their power, physically or mentally, it would take them a few tries to completely master it.

As of yet, all Zatz could do was turn into a small purple bat. 

He found out quickly that merely sitting still and willing his power wasn't working for him, so he decided to go with another approach. 

Zatz tied a rope around the raised beam he was on in the empty hallway.

He thought that it would be better for him to take a more active approach to his power.

He tied the other end of the rope around his waist as he looked down at the ground.

It didn't seem to be that high, but it looked like enough for him to turn into a bat.

Hopefully. 

Zatz took a deep breath as he bent his legs and jumped off the beam, yelling as he fell.

The rope suddenly jolted him to a stop. He heard what sounded like a startled yelp in front of him as the sudden jolt knocked the air out of his lungs.

He looked up to see Cipactli in a doorway. Her face was shocked, but she quickly relaxed when she saw it was Zatz dangling in the air.

"Hello, Zatz." Cipactli calmly said. 

"Hi, Cipactli." Zatz said sheepishly. 

Cipactli undid the rope around Zatz's waist, making him fall to the floor, "Oof!"

...

Zatz pouted as Cipactli carried him back home. He knew she was gonna tell his father. As much as he didn't want her to, he knew she was going to, regardless of what he'd say or do.

Cipactli knocked on the door of Camazotz's home.

"Just be glad I was the one who found you." She said, "Not everyone here is as understanding as me."

Zatz said nothing as his father opened the door. The moment he saw Cipactli holding his son, he had a look of confusion. 

"Cipactli." Camazotz said. 

"I found this one bungee jumping from the ceiling." She explained as she set the boy down, "Most likely trying to tap into his power."

Camazotz watched as Zatz silently walked into the home.

"Uh, thank you for bringing him home, Cipactli." He said. 

"Anytime." Cipactli said, "He's a sweet boy, but I'd say you should keep an eye on him. He'll be a beacon for trouble if he keeps this up." 

Camazotz waited until she left before closing the door with a sigh.

He knew his son was eager to start practicing his power, but he didn't think Zatz would go to such lengths to activate them.

He walked to Zatz's room, where his son was sitting on his bed, arms crossed as he pouted.

"Would you mind explaining to me what you were doing?" Camazotz asked as he sat next to Zatz.

Zatz stayed silent for a moment before saying, "I was trying to practice my power."

"And you thought jumping from the ceiling would work? You could have been hurt."

Zatz didn't say anything as he looked down, "It didn't work."

"Was it the first time you jumped?"

Zatz slowly nodded, saddened by his failure. 

Camazotz sighed as he placed his hands on his son's shoulders, "I understand you want to practice your powers, and I encourage you to do so. But I don't want you to be reckless. You're a demigod. You're strong, but you're not invincible like the rest of the gods. I just want you to be careful. You just need to find other ways to tap into them."

"Like what?" Zatz asked. 

"I'm not sure. Sometimes it's an action, other times a thought. But if you want to try something dangerous, please let me know so I can keep an eye on you."

Zatz nodded and said, "I promise. I'm sorry, Papa."

Camazotz hugged his son warmly, "It's ok. Tell you what; I'll let you try jumping again, but this time, I'll be here."

Zatz nodded as his father picked him up and placed him on a shelf. It wasn't as high as the beam he was on before, but it was still something. 

"Just concentrate." Camazotz instructed, "I'm right here, mijo."

Zatz smiled as he jumped off the shelf, Camazotz instantly moving to catch him.

In a small flash of purple light, Zatz had transformed into a small purple bat. 

"Papa!" Zatz said as he flew around the room, "Papa! It worked!"

"Yes! Yes, you did it, mijo!" Camazotz watched with pride and joy as his son flew around the room for a bit while laughing. 

It didn't take Zatz long to lose balance and fly into a wall. 

Camazotz made his way over to him and picked him up as he transformed back.

"I'll have to show you how to fly when you get the hang of this." He said.