Advisor's Son

Chapter 9 A Daughter of Poseidon Likes Me

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The young lord has a talent for the teaching of Nagash, but I fear for his relations with the dark gods and these new goddesses I have heard of.

I know not what this Golden Fleece he is after is, but with his relation to the agent of Chen the Deceiver I would assume he has a plan. Seldom do his pawns pander around those of no use. But it is our duty to make sure he is not a tool for anyone.

The Everwatcher's eyes shifted from the Confederate ship back to me, but I remained a statue. I do not doubt she is suspicious, but it matters little, as it stands our goals seem akin.

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"You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Tome of Fate would you?" I asked as I sat beside the ushabti, who had remained a statue ever since I gave it orders.

"It is an artifact of the Deceiver." The ushabti answered as a whisper in my head after a moment of silence. "Whispers say it holds limitless knowledge but the bearer is cursed to always use it to aid others."

"Cursed limitless knowledge." I muttered as I stared at the Tome.

"It is my advice you seek more of the Black Books of Nagash, your power will only increase." He advised, which made me think.

Power was something I would need. At the end of the day I am just a mortal in a world of the inhuman, sure demigoddesses are partially human but even then I am disadvantaged even to the weakest of them. I do not know much about Nagash, but there is one line in Liber Necris about him. I opened the book and flipped through the pages until I found what I was looking for.

'In that dreadful desert, beneath the moon's pale gaze, dead men walk. They haunt the shifting dunes of the breathless, windless night, brandish weapons of bronze in mocking challenge and bitter resentment of the life they no longer possess. And sometimes, in ghastly dry voices, like the rustling of sun-baked reeds, they whisper the one word they remember from life. The name of the one who cursed them to their existence, more than death but less than life. They whisper the name, Nagash..'

"Nagash, lord of undeath..." I whispered.

"He who created the black arts of necromancy and lord of vampires, cursed as he is, his power can not be denied. He would've bent the old world to his rule had it not been for a hero's sacrifice." The ushabti told me, "Though I advise caution my lord, it is said though he is gone death could never truly claim him."

I stared at Liber Necris as a macabre fascination with Nagash and his dark arts. One Tome holds limitless knowledge while the other knowledge that disdains life. Though one thing in particular sparked my interest.

"Lord of Vampires." I whispered not noticing the smile that was brought to my face.

"Hey Ice Brain," Katherine called out as I looked up to see her walking towards me, "Are we going to try to sail under Scylla or past Charybdis?"

I considered it for a moment. I knew both of their stories, the cursed nymph that is secluded to a cave and then the cursed goddess bound as guardian. Sisters in arms of monstrous curses. An example of the goddesses' past. Neither fate was a particularly good one.

"Charybdis." I told her as I stood up looking out at the distance where I could see what looked like a wall of sea stacks.

"Charybdis, who sucks the sea in and spits it out?" Katherine asked, though I think it was rhetorical.

"Daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, cursed by Zeus." I added. "Once a goddess."

"Your point or has the heat gotten to your head?" She asked, crossing her arms. "I know you don't know boats, but this isn't exactly a whirlpool fighting boat."

"If my plan is right, we do not need to fight a whirlpool." I told her as I turned to the ushabti. "Wait for the CSS Birmingham to through first, then we proceed."

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The CSS Birmingham exploded...

"You would imagine a ship with a daughter of Poseidon on board the ship would not suffer such a fate, in fact I do not recall a single recorded time where one has." Signa spoke in her raven form.

"Well you said Clairesse was the captain." Katherine shrugged, though she held a little concern in her eyes as she stared at the wreckage.

Now before I would have tried to defend Clarisse, but not now. She's been openly hostile to me and I have no reason to believe she would ever defend me either.

"She likely died in the explosion." I sighed feeling a bit of regret, much as I may be bitter towards her. I did not want her to die, same for Percy and Annabeth who were also on the ship.

Annabeth...

I closed my eyes, shaking the thoughts away, I could mourn later.

"Can I sacrifice things without a fire?" I asked, hoping Signa or Katherine would answer.

"If it is a sea goddess you can throw it into the sea and if accepted it will dissolve." Katherine answered.

Taking in the information I dug into one of the backpacks Chiron packed for us and grabbed what was honestly useless to me, ambrosia and nectar.

'Charybdis, goddess of the raging sea accept this offering and allow us passage into the sea of monsters.' I silently prayed as I threw the nectar and ambrosia into the water.

The nectar and ambrosia sunk into the water a bit before dissolving into a sea foam.

"Well I guess she accepted the offering, now let us see if she will allow us passage. Full speed ahead!" I ordered and the skeletal crew instantly responded.

Katherine shifted around nervously, eventually settling on latching onto my arm. "Ice Brain, are you sure this will work?"

"Faith, trust and pixie dust." I shrugged. "Let us see if one goddess doesn't mind me."

The boat rowed forward at a steady pace and we slowly entered between the two sea stacks that acted like a gateway for the sea of monsters. My eyes were glued to the surface of the water looking for any disturbances, yet I found none. The only sounds heard were the creaking of the ship and skeletons bones as the waves softly hit against the ship.

We were halfway through the gateway when I tore my eyes from the water and looked towards the cliffs where Scylla's cave is supposed to be. At first I saw nothing, until I spotted a vaguely humanoid figure in the shadows seeming to be shifted to something else at the waist.

Scylla, that must be her. I looked down at the water below her cave where the wreck of the CSS Birmingham was. Broken wood floating, iron sinking, skeletal remains here and there. No blood in the water nor visible bodies, which sparked some hope for me.

I was so focused on searching the wreckage I didn't notice that we had passed by Charybdis and Scylla.

"It seems your plan worked, my lord." The ushabti voice brought me back to the present.

"It seems so." I nodded as I looked forward and noticed a brown splotch in the distance. "Sail to the brown thing in the distance."

"At once my lord."

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