The After Effect

Chapter 9

Slash. Stab. Slice. Over and over again. That's all I have been doing.

 How long has it been? Since they killed me, since I ran away? I wasn't sure. I trained and ran. That is all I have been doing. I killed monsters and saved demigods. I wondered around, everywhere across the country since that day in Missouri. 

I was in pain. I thought that that shifting feeling, that broken feeling, was my fatal flaw but I was wrong, very very wrong. It wasn't my flaw, it was much worse, it was my soul.

 I didn't what a broken soul could do but I lived in fear everyday. Souls are important, they are your whole life. If I died with a broken soul could I still go into the underworld? Could I be judged correctly if I wasn't all there?

I put my sword in its sheath. I didn't use Riptide very much anymore, I still carried it anyway because there is no way for me to get rid of it even if I wanted to. I looked down at myself. I was wearing all black, it was easier to blend in at night. I also had a long cloak with a hood on it. I didn't want anyone to recognize me should I be spotted, not that I usually am. The only ones who have even glimpsed at me were the young demigods I have helped.

The demigods that I have helped are usually too young for the satyrs to realize who they were. I would usually find the ones on the streets or just wondering around. The ones that needed help before they were old enough to be found. I didn't explain who I was or what they were, I just told them that I could take them somewhere safe, somewhere with friends, somewhere they would be fed and treated right. 

Most of the time they would come with no complaints. If they did, that was when I would tell them what they were. Even though the gods did "kill" me, I had asked for it so I couldn't really blame their children.  I was weak, I was hurting. 

I better now. Even if she couldn't be with me anymore, I don't think she would want this for me. I don't think any of my friends would. I felt bad about leaving them all but I couldn't stay. I am happy here anyway, by myself. I would always return if they needed me, I will be loyal, but until then I will continue wondering and helping.

I still don't know why I wasn't dead. I don't know who saved me. I think about it a lot and the only thing I can come up with is that one of the gods saved me. I am pretty sure it was my father. He is so loyal, just like me, it wouldn't surprise me. I just hope he won't get punished for it if they ever found out.

I was in a bad place after that.  I was depressed. I didn't know what to do. I became reckless and went to kill monsters that I shouldn't have by myself.  I almost got killed myself. I was mean and rude. I never really helped anyone or anything.  I wasn't me.

That is until I was visited by Hestia. She helped me a lot. She told me that the gods knew that I wasn't dead. They had a vote and agreed not to hunt for me until I did something else that called for it. She said that with the help of some of the other gods, they managed to convince Zeus that I was just in a weak stop. 

And that is completely true. She stayed with me for about a year. Coming when she could and leaving when she had to.  She didn't give me her blessing, because the other gods would notice. She old gave me enough hope to help me through the rough patch. I was able to move on and it helped me feel loved again.

About a year after she bid me a goodbye I realized that I had finally gotten myself, and my powers under control. It was safe for me to return, but I felt a pull somewhere else, as if I shouldn't go back.

I practiced controlling my emotions and powers. I trained everyday.

 I have become an even better swordsman, now being able to duel wield. I carried two swords, gifted from Hestia, for that reason on my back. I was pretty good at throwing knives and using daggers but I still could not shoot a bow no matter how hard I tried.

So after all this time, which I am going to guess almost five years, I have changed a lot. I figured it was about a year after my death that Hestia found me, a year with her, a year after I found my new gifts, and then three years of training and helping demigods.

***

I heard a sound that knocked me out of my thoughts. I walked towards the sound. It didn't sound like a monster, more like a swooshing sound? I walked out of the trees and found myself in a large clearing. I have only been in Maine for a few days so I haven't seen it before now. 

I continued walking as I made my way to the middle. There looked to be a storm on its way but not like one that the gods have made. The clouds were a dark green and they were swirling in weird patterns. I stopped walking as I notice in shock as they came down to form an arch right in front of me.

I looked around. I was alone. What was this thing? 

Portal 1: Activated. Destination: The Tavern. A voice said in my head.

I jumped back. A portal? Where ever it was going, I didn't think it was on Earth. I sat there staring at it and debating. It wasn't going to stay there forever, I knew that much. It could possibly be going to another planet. I wonder what it was like. If there was a portal that went outside of Earth, then I'm guessing the had to be someone on the other side to have made it or something. The gods probably knew, or maybe they didn't.

I stared at it as I made my decision. I have trained all I can here. I was going to go through it, deal with whatever was on the other side. I didn't want to leave the earth unprotected though. I raised my hand over the grass and pulled some water out from it. It swirled into a ball the size of a marble. I solidified it into an almost glass like state. I did something that I learned from a child of Hecate a couple years back, I blessed it. Now it if Earth was ever to be in trouble again, this stone would let me know.

I stuck it in my pocket and did the one thing that could easily be the worst or best thing I have ever done. I stepped through the glowing portal to a fate unbeknownst to all.

Word Count: 1,261

Hey guys! I hope you liked it! This is by far the longest chapter I have ever wrote. It kinda started out as a filler but I did try to put some excitement in it. 

Don't forget to ask questions or comment on anything.

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*Edited January 7, 2018*