The Obscured Truth

Chapter three

     Percy's POV

     I looked around new home. It wasn't exactly nice, but it would due. It was near the bottom of the mountain I was walking towards, so it was easy to get too, but it had a really small crawl space to get it that's hard to find if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. You had to crawl a few feet, then it opened up to be around seven feet tall and ten feet wide, going about fifteen feet long.

     I sat down in it, looking around. I was going to be bored out of my mind down here if I didn't find something to do. I looked around the cave and found an object at my side. It was quite dark, so I didn't know what it was until I picked it up. It was a mini version of the crystal I had climbed earlier. I stood up and collected all of the crystals I could find. I set them down next to me after I sat. All of them were about six inches tall and two inches wide, the tops sharp and the bottoms smooth. I decided to test something and picked one up. I shifted my position so I was facing a wall and then scraped the sharp end against the smooth, stone wall. Sure enough, a white line followed the point where ever it went. 'At least I can improve my art skills while I'm down here.' I thought bitterly. I just drew lines and shapes for a while, nothing in particular, until I heard movement outside of my cave. It sounding like someone shuffling. I drew Riptide as a figure crawled in, holding it out in a defensive stance. However, when they stood I saw it was Akhlys. "Why are you here?" I asked.

      "To show you the purposes of those crystals." She said hoarsely. "My Oath still stands."

     I hesitantly lowered Riptide and capped it. She shuffled over to me, sitting on the other side of the pile of crystals. I turned so that we were facing each other. "Do you know what this is?" She asked, pointing to the stack of crystals.

     "No, I do not." I told her.

     "They are called Blood Stones, and can only be found in Tartarus. Do you know why they are called that?" She asked.

     I took a wild guess. "They become active in some way when in contact with blood?"

     "Correct. There two types of Blood Stones, as well. These black ones are the most common, a red being nearly impossible to find, unless you know where to look." She told me. "To activate one you need to use the sharp point to draw blood somewhere on your body, where it does not matter. The black stones are capable of middle class spells at most. The spell inflicted depends on the thing you carve onto it. Are you following?" She asked. I nodded slowly, understanding the basic concept.

     "Good. In order to mark a Blood Stone with a spell you have to do is take Hite, a certain type of rock also only found in Tartarus. It is the underworld's equivalent of chalk. Depending on the spell there are different things you have to draw. For example, if you want a black smoke spell you draw a circle about ten inches in diameter in both directions. You then have to draw a plus sign in the middle with a line going up on either side."

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Then you place the Blood Stone on top of the cross and let a drop of your blood fall somewhere in the ring. The Hite will turn the color of your blood and the same marking your drew inside of the ring will appear on the stone. The Hite will then vanish, leaving the stone ready to be active. The red Blood Stones... they are deadly, capable of many evil things. I have only found two in my entire life. They say there is a stash hidden in these mountains, thousands and thousands of them, both red and black stones." She looked up at me with a slightly fearful expression, but quickly made her face blank,

     "Okay, so what I need to is preform a freaky ritual and they become deadly weapons?" I asked.

     "You're smarter than you're given credit for down here." Akhlys told me with a creepy smile.

     "Err, thanks."

     *A few hours later*

     I drained another drop of blood onto a ritual circle and the stone gleamed, the symbol now engraved into the middle of the stone. I put it in it's correct pile on the right side of me. There were at least ten piles, all of them having five blood stones in each. I needed a bag or something to put them all in, but where would I get a bag in hell? Maybe there was a spell for creating cotton or something, I don't know.

     I sighed and stood up, wiping my bloody palm on my jeans. I crawled out of my cave and looked around for something. What I have no idea, just entertainment. Akhlys had left about an hour ago after teaching me a few blood stone rituals. Man that sound dark. I kind of just walked around, kind of zoning out. I can't believe the gods kicked me out like that. And Annabe- My thoughts were cut short when I stumbled over something, almost falling before I caught myself. I looked back and saw a little baby empousi, shivering in fear. Its parents were hanging WAY back, looking between their child and me.

   "Please don't kill me." I heard a voice in my head say. Where did that come from?

    "Who said that?" I asked. I heard whispering from afar.

     "That's the Black Night!" One whispered in fear. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

      "Who's talking?" I repeated. An empousi raised a trembling hand.

     "We did S-sir."

     "Wait, how can I understand you?" I asked, super confused.

     "H-Hecate blessed you and made you our L-lord S-sir." The other one stuttered out.

      "What?!" I yelped and they flinched. She made me a lord of monsters?

      "Please don't kill me." The higher pitched voice repeated. I looked at the younger Dracaena.

      "Is that you?" I asked. It nodded weakly, still shaking.

     "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." I assured it.

     "N-No?" She asked, then I realized she was speaking out loud.

     "Nope." I replied. I didn't want to kill something that bowed down to me.

     "T-Thank you sir." The Empousi stuttered, then  ran off to het parents, who quickly lead her away.

     "I don't know whether to thank or murder Akhlys." I muttered, taking my eyes off of the family. How did they even have a child if they were both girls? I don't know. I don't know anything anymore, actually.