The Curse of Chaos

Who Let Chaos Name The Elite?

Jason was next. Icarus' aura was almost overwhelming at this close, and getting blessed made the nerves in his stomach coil tighter and tighter. And yet, he walked towards Chaos confidently. Back straight, shoulders squared.

Chaos held out his forearm, and Jason mimicked Icarus' previous action and clasped it. Instead of glowing purple, small wisps of smoke flew towards Jason, fizzing as they came into contact with his skin. Sharp pain erupted where the smoke met his skin, and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from crying out. After what seemed like an eternity, the smoke stopped, allowing Jason to breathe properly. He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto his knees and rub his singed skin with ice, but he faced the crowd with a stony expression, waiting for Chaos to announce his name.

"Our Second Elite, Aurelius!"

Jason let out a breathe he didn't know he was holding. Aurelius wasn't half as bad as Praxis or some of the other names Chaos was known for giving.

Next was Patroclus. In reality, Achilles was meant to go first to check how painful the blessing would be, but Patroclus had put his foot down and insisted he go first. It was a good decision.

Patroclus was glowing. It was different to how he usually seemed. He was always so sure of himself, even as a mortal, so solitary in himself. He was almost alight with power, even without having been blessed yet. His breaths were steady, his footsteps were strong and Jason envied how composed Patroclus was.

Seconds passed with no physical reaction, until Patroclus started giggling. The sound was soft at first; barely audible, until a soft forest green glow surrounded Patroclus. His giggles calmed down, but he remained smiling. The glow didn't disappear until Chaos had finished announcing Patroclus.

"People of Levine, I present to you our first pure blooded Elite, Sylvan!" The crowd's cheers were almost deafening, and confusion flickered over Patroclus' face before Chaos met his eyes and Patroclus schooled his expression back into neutrality.

Achilles walked forward, and Patroclus' smile was all the reassurance he needed that Patroclus was ok. Achilles had decimated armies single-handedly, stormed through cities and was a warrior who was only ever outmatched by one of the team. There was no question that Chaos' blessing would make him almost impossible to beat.

Achilles' footsteps were light and airy, the years as a soldier teaching him well. Percy watched in fascination as Achilles walked. Achilles was powerful, so the blessing would be stronger, wouldn't it?

Before Achilles had even touched Chaos, the air had started crackling with golden light. Slowly, the light had shrouded both Chaos and Achilles, leaving the rest of the Elite and the crowd blinded for minutes. After a long while, the light died down between Chaos and Achilles, but left Achilles shrouded in a light golden glow. The only motion that suggested it was painful was the fractional, almost unnoticeable wince Achilles made when he turned back.

"Amaros, our final Hero of Old!" Chaos announced, relief softening his features. Percy was slightly confused at the relief, but figured out that he'd have time to ask Chaos about it later.

Percy nudged Ethan, who looked spooked. "Hey. It'll be fine. Don't worry too much. We're here if anything happens."

Ethan smiled crookedly back at Percy. "That's not what I'm worried about."

"What then?" Percy whispered back while Chaos was stalling, evidently having seen the two talking.

"I don't want him to name me Pirate man or something."

Percy resisted the urge to facepalm. "You deserve to be called Pirate Man. It'd give everyone a fair warning about your braincells."

Ethan frowned, glancing at Chaos. "I don't get what you mean, but Chaos looks sick of stalling so I figure I should go. I hope, for his sake, that he doesn't name me Pirate man."

Ethan went toward Chaos, imitating the actions of the Heroes Of Old. A small circle pulsated at their joined arms, slowly growing until it was a yin-yang sign. It was befitting of Ethan, Percy thought. A son of Nemesis and the symbol of balance.

"Leventis, our fifth Elite!"

All too quickly, the rose-gold tendrils of roses Silena had been blessed with had faded, and Charles took her place. Percy had to take a step back when Beckendorf erupted into angry flames after touching Chaos.

"People of Levine, I present to you Ivelle and ... Pyralis?"

When Bianca stepped forward, Percy's heart dropped. Her hair was braided back, only a few strands loose on the side. Her profile was so similar to Nico's. Too similar. It made Percy remember how he last saw Nico. How he felt at Camp. How he never did get to talk to Nico about everything after Gaia. It reminded him how Percy had loved Annabeth. How he was hurt. And how he'd - unexpectedly, all too quickly, all too softly - loved again. How he'd fought by Nico's side, countless times. And now he would be fighting by Bianca's side, unable to tell Nico.

The moment Bianca and Chaos touched, silver and black mixed into small figurines. It took Percy a while until he recognised them. Mythomagic. Even in death, Bianca first thought about her brother. He spotted a Hades figurine as is melted back into light, almost pained at the sight. He'd failed Nico once. He would not fail him again.

"Thysia."

When Chaos had announced Bianca's name, it took all over Percy's self control not to flinch. Thysia meant sacrifice. It was a testament to her past life, but he didn't like how it seemed to prophecise what would happen to her.

Michael was too eager to get the blessing, pain be damned. He stepped forward with a smile which melted the moment he touched Chaos. Again, a golden light surrounded the two, but it died down much quicker than Achilles'. Michael stepped back, blinking as if he'd just been blinded.

"Toxótis!" Somehow, Percy doubted Michael would be happy with that name.

Chaos had insisted that Percy go last as the leader of the Elite, and so Luke was next. As Luke neared Chaos, his form flickered. He seemed to move impossibly quick, and then it was as if time had slowed.

Percy looked around in confusion, seeing the other Elite with varying degrees of discombobulation written on their faces.

The next time Luke blinked, golden eyes stared back at Chaos.

Yo. Epic cliffhanger, right?

Thank you for all your support, comments and just reading this. ❤️