It had been two weeks since the invasion of monsters were counteracted. The camp was able to recover from the destruction but many still hadn't gotten over the grief and sorrow. The atmosphere in the camp was still gloomy.
Since the betrayal, the discrimination I faced had doubled. They have become more aggressive, still believing I was one of the traitors even after hearing Chiron's and Adriel's words.
So that's why I was in the forest right now, instead of the training grounds, training my ability. I couldn't be left in peace in the training ground, which prevented me from concentrating on my training.
The ground trembled subtly as I ordered a chunk of earth to rise. Following my command, a thick wall constructed itself and rose out of the ground. Although it ate away a considerable amount of my divine energy, it was worth it.
For the past two weeks, I had been mastering my first ability, authority over the earth itself as well as training the physical capabilities of my body. After my fight with the son of Ares, I was reminded of how weak I was currently.
The overbearing pain of the wound across my right arm was still lingering in my mind. Although it had mostly healed, there was a long vertical scar which was what was left of the wound. Although I was feeling alright, I knew I was still in the vague shock of that deadly fight. Neither It was something I was used to nor it was something I could get used to easily after all. On the other hand, death wasn't something that far away from me either.
'I have no choice but to get stronger in this world.'
I coated my hand with divine energy. A weak glow of black and red mana threads appeared around my fist. I punched the wall I just created with all I had. My punch connected with the wall, causing many deep cracks to form on its surface.
"The durability of the wall is quite weak. But it will still be very useful in a fight."
Other than creating defensive walls out of the earth, I was also able to control, move, or bend any type of earthly material using my divine energy. This meant I also had authority over not just soil and stone but also various metals that were much more durable.
As I noticed the sun going down, I knew It was time to have dinner. So I packed my stıff up before calling my status window in my mind.
'Status Window'
---
Name: Blake Norman
Bloodline: Son of Hades
Strength: F
Agility: F+
Stamina: F
Intelligence: F
Divine Energy: F
Charm: S
Daggermanship ==> F-
Ability ==>
Authority Over Earth (Bloodline Ability) --- The user possesses the authority over any type of earthly material. Correlated with the amount of divine energy supplied, the range and effect of the ability increase.
---
I was able to reach (F+) rank in agility and (F) rank in the rest of my stats. I was still lacking compared to the main cast but I thought this would be enough for me to survive the next event. I finally departed for the campfire where the dinner was held.
***
After dinner, I headed back to my cabin. As the sight of Hades' cabin appeared in the distance, I could also see the main cast chatting in front of Zeus' cabin. When they saw me approaching, Adriel turned and waved at me.
"Yo! Blake!"
Adriel greeting me whenever he saw me had become a regular occurrence since he had apologized to me. I guess he was feeling guilty and trying to make it up with me. Though Eleanor too was acting more comfortable, Amelia was as distant as before.
I nodded at his greeting without saying anything.
"Chiron told me to inform you about our first quest since he wasn't able to find you in person. Tomorrow morning we are going to leave the camp and dispatch to New York City in search of a person assumed to be a newly awakened demigod."
"Is that so? Then I am going to sleep early... Goodnight."
"Uh.. Yeah. Goodnight."
Adriel re-joined the two girls as they resumed their conversation while I went indoors.
This was a crucial quest and the second event of the novel. Adriel's team was assigned to the quest of recruiting another demigod into the camp. We were going to be required to bring the newly awakened demigod to Camp Twilight safely.
This demigod was the daughter of Artemis, who would join the main cast after being saved by Adriel from the monsters. She was an important side character that would support Adriel in the future.
'Tomorrow is going to be tiring as hell. I hope I don't have to deal with anything extra...'
***
"Where is Eleanor?"
Chiron asked with a stern look on his face. It was early in the morning and we were currently waiting for Eleanor to come before we departed for New York City.
"I don't know either. Should I go check on her cabin in case she may be still sleeping?"
Adriel tried to ease Chiron but it didn't work at all. Fortunately, Eleanor soon came into sight running towards us. Seeing Chiron's expression she couldn't help but finch. Panting, she asked for forgiveness saying her alarm was broken and all those excuses. Eventually, she gave up and accepted the embarrassment of her mistake.
"Whatever... We are still not late but we need to be quick with the details of the quest thanks to Eleanor. Now listen to me carefully..."
"Our scouting team has traced divine energy that had been accumulated inside a school. We suspect there is a newly awakened demigod who attends that school and that that demigod is responsible for the accumulation of divine energy inside that school. Thus, you will go and investigate the school and figure out if there is actually a demigod. I give you full permission to guide the demigod to the camp if you find any. That's all!"
"The location of the school is sent to your phones. Re-check if you have everything you need on yourself and once you are all ready, you will leave the camp. Any questions?"
"If we stumble across monsters, should we just kill them or try to get away?"
Adriel asked.
"Depends on the situation. Remember, your main objective is to safely bring the demigod as well as yourself to the camp. So do what you have to do to ensure the safety of you all. Anything else?"
"Good! I hope you make it back here without any problem. I wish you good luck!"
As Chiron was lost in the distance, we all checked what we had on us. Confirming everything was ready to go, we began walking to the entrance of the camp where the transparent barrier could be seen.
"Huff... Alright! Beyond this barrier lies a dangerous world full of monsters."
Adriel turned back to face us, his eyes held a bit of worry as well as excitement. He was planning to do the classic heroic speech just before the quest began.
"So I trust you all to have each other's back when needed during our mission. We have to return to the camp all safe and sound!"
"Yep!"
The girls shouted full of energy. It was quite ironic of us to be this lively when we were going to face live-or-die fights with the monster we would encounter during this quest.
'I guess this isn't that bad... It's been a while since I was out of this camp.'
It was going to be my first time seeing New York City. Although I had lived in the US in my past life, I had lived most of my life in rural areas.
Following the main cast, I passed through the barrier as a tingling sensation enveloped my body. What greeted me on the other side was an intimidating forest. I caught up to the main cast and we began walking through the forest to find the highway. We were going to take a bus the the New York City. As if reading my thoughts, Eleanor bewailed the fact that we were about to get on a bus.
"I don't get it. Why do we have to take a bus? Like, aren't we the children of Gods?"
"If you have a problem, why don't you find a better idea?"
"What do you mean, Amelia? Are you okay with taking a bus when we can get attacked by monsters anytime?!"
"We have no other choice anyway."
As I followed them from behind, I fell into deep thoughts about a phenomenon that was crucial for this world to function properly. There would have been a huge gap in the world development of the novel in case of the absence of a phenomenon called 'Mist'.
The location of the school was in the New York City, where a lot of humans spent their lives. However, this raises the question as to how humans haven't been aware of the supernatural beings and events taking place in New York City, or in any other parts of the world.
This unawareness was possible due to 'Mist', which enshrouded the supernatural and hid it from the eyes of mortals. The mist was controlled by Hecate, the goddess who governed the boundaries between the world of mortals and the supernatural world.
Therefore even if we encounter monsters and fight them, the mortals around us wouldn't be able to perceive reality. They would probably see something like a construction zone which would lead them to take another route and avoid us.
Most mortals are forbidden from seeing the supernatural since that would drive them crazy and melt their brains. In a way, the mist was for their own good. However, there were some people who were mortals but could still perceive the supernatural.
The sound of the bus pulled me out of my thoughts as Adriel called me out.
"Blake! Hurry up and get on the bus!"
"Okay..."
The bus took off and drove by the coast. The sun was still rising above the horizon, shooting rays of sunlight to the surface of the sea. As I watched the glinting sea, I revisited my memory of the novel and went through today's events once again.