Helen Brave and The Sun Titan
Chapter 9: Demi Goddess

We all ended up at the Forge, Hephaestus wheeling himself around and grumbling while we sat off to the side, the other adults talking to one another in aggravation. Daedalus’ wings were in Apollo’s hands and he was looking them over while his twin, Artemis, was ranting about something. Ma and momma looked concerned as Aphrodite and Ares spoke to them and after a moment, Hephaestus rolled over to my friends and me. He looked us all over before shifting in his seat when our eyes met. “I’ve never created a demi god before. I never knew what to do,” he said before shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have taken your magic, but you were a strong child, different from your siblings. I panicked. We were forbidden and I was…your parents were desperate for a child,” he said.

“Aren’t I some kind of mistake though,” I snapped out bitterly. He flinched and looked away while I scowled, glaring at my workstation.

“I…you’re not a mistake. I’m sorry if you feel that way,” he said softly. I glanced over at him and found he was now frowning down at his lap.

“We have a quest,” I said lowly, Hephaestus giving me a tired nod before jerking his head towards the large furnace in the center of the room.

“Come along. You five will be receiving your weapons and a special gift for Helen is in order,” he said. The other adults paused and walked over, Apollo giving me a small smile.

“I have good news,” he said. I looked to him curiously and he lifted the wings, giving me a wink. “The wings do contain the power taken from you and you will get it back, I just have to release it by…breaking the wings,” he said somberly.

“You can’t! That is a symbol for my students!” Hephaestus cried, wilting when he was tossed a withering look.

“You shouldn’t have tossed her magic into it like an idiot,” Apollo snapped before giving me a gentle look. “It will hurt for a moment, but then you’ll feel ten times more powerful,” he warned before giving the wings one last sad look, tearing them in half like paper. Reddish brown energy rushed up into the air then exploded slightly before spiraling down and slamming into my chest. The hit knocked me off my feet and I wheezed, falling back and grabbing at the hot spot, right above my heart. “You’re alright. Calm down,” Apollo said, kneeling and gently rubbing my head with his hand. I groaned and coughed before relaxing marginally as the fire faded from my chest into a warm burn.

“What was that?” I panted out, allowing Apollo to tug me into a sitting position.

“Pure godly power. You’ll be needing it for this journey,” Apollo said softly before tugging me to my feet. I felt instantly dizzy and stumbled slightly before moving my hand out to stop myself, flinching when fire erupted from my palm and almost hit Amanda. She squealed and stumbled back, Achilles stopping her from falling and both of them looking at me with wide eyes.

“S-Sorry!” I stuttered out before closing my hands and looking down at them in shock. They were glowing red and brown, the energy fading after a short moment. I gave the others a sheepish smile and they returned it while Hephaestus whistled for us to look at him. He was holding a necklace and extended it out towards Achilles, who took it gingerly.

“Your weapons will be disguised as jewelry and tuned specifically to you so you can summon it back to your side if it’s knocked away,” he said before grabbing a shield charm attached to a choker and handing it to me. He then gave me a necklace with a hammer attached to it before he turned to Amanda and passed her a different necklace. Achilles pulled on her necklace before giving me a smile and moving over.

“Need help?” She asked. I nodded and she took the necklace and put it on first before helping me put on the choker, giving me a gentle smile when I looked to her. I blushed and smiled back before blushing redder when ma cleared her throat, moving between us and giving Achilles a look. Achilles flushed and looked away while ma shook her head and turned to me, raising an eyebrow. I blushed and pouted up at her before looking to Hephaestus, who gave me an awkward smile.

“One more gift for you. When I was younger, I used two special leg gauntlets to move about unrestricted, but my father convinced me to be myself. For this quest you will need the use of both of your legs and I have one here for you,” he said, reaching around a table and pulling out a bronzed colored detailed prosthetic. I hesitantly took it and nodded while he gave me a warmer smile. “It will act like a regular leg. You’ll feel sensations and can control it like your organic one, but it can’t break. The only important thing to remember is it’s not real and only you can remove it,” he said before frowning deeply. I nodded and took a seat before rolling up my left leg and tugging it off. I put the new one on and watched in shock, as the leg seemed to melt on. I flinched, but sat watching as it melded to my skin then tested it out.

The sensation was weird and I grimaced before looking up as Hephaestus gave me another smile. “You just happened to have another leg lying around,” Artemis said. Hephaestus scowled at her and Apollo shook his head before barking out a laugh.

“You knew who she was and you didn’t even try to warn us,” he growled out. Hephaestus began to grumble again and I shook my head before tugging on my shoe and wincing slightly at the feel on my new foot. I took a few test steps to get used to the sensation and after a moment I felt normal enough to walk from one side of the Forge to the others while the gods argued with Hephaestus.

“We should get going,” Achilles grumbled when I got back to their sides. Amanda was fiddling around with the whip charm on her necklace while Zoey and her sister spoke with one another in quiet voices. I nodded and grabbed momma’s hand, watching as she glanced at me before clearing her throat. The group of gods quieted and she bowed before waving to us.

“Since the children have their weapons and it’s rather late, we’re going to take them to the student council dorm so they can rest up before leaving tomorrow,” she said, getting a nod from Ares. She quickly ushered us out after ma and all of us began the trek from the Forge towards the student Pantheon dorm, which wasn’t that far away.

“This is a mess,” ma mumbled before rubbing her eyes.

“Yes, but neither of us knew that Hephaestus was the one who sired her,” momma said, rubbing a soothing hand on her shoulder before giving us all a tense smile. “We’re going to camp out in the dorm living room and then leave early,” she said before shaking her head and waving to the dorm as it came into view. We all trooped inside and were almost overwhelmed by the student Pantheon members, Jason ahead of them all.

“What the hell happened?!” He snapped, advancing. Achilles moved in front of me while Amanda took the space behind her, momma pushing past them and glaring down her nose at him.

“You better back up boy,” she snarled. He glared at her before wilting slightly and moving back, his arms crossing over his chest.

“What happened?” He asked in an even tone. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“We were chosen for a quest. End of story,” Achilles said before looking to momma. “How about we all camp out in my room?” she asked, momma nodding before sneering at Jason. Jason puffed up, but wilted when ma moved forward, leaning down over him and narrowing her eyes.

“Think really hard on what you’re going to say. I’ve taken down giants,” she growled out, Jason paling slightly before moving back. We were allowed to pass and when we got to Achilles room, she sighed before rubbing her head.

“Let’s get some rest,” she grumbled.

“Her eyes are dilating again,” ma said lowly, nervousness on her face. She looked tired, her brown eyes bloodshot as she looked down at me. She was younger, her hair long and messy around her face.

“Honey you know how excited she gets,” I heard momma say, excitement filling me to the brim. I twisted to look for her, frowning when I saw the bars that blocked the side of my bed.

“Oh god her pupils are huge!” Ma said. I turned to her, squealing as her face came in close and grabbed her glasses, grinning when she groaned. “No sweetie! Ma needs those,” she said, grabbing one end and tugging. I felt angry, they were now mine! She couldn’t have them back! I squealed in anger, keeping a tight grip on them as she tried to take them back, a frown appearing on her face. “Darn it. She’s strong. Did you find the minor god who sired her?” Ma called, leaning down and scooping me up. I squeaked, releasing the glasses and kicking while Ma cradled me close and smiled down at me.

“He said something about a container. Her power can’t just be released,” momma said from her side, her face coming into view. I let out a weird sounding shriek of delight, which drew a smile from both of them and a knock from a door made them both turn. They marched over to the door and momma opened it, revealing a thin man, who looked nervous.

“I have a temporary container for transport,” he said before looking at me, his eyes flashing red then brown.

I flinched awake and sat up, rubbing my eyes before groaning softly and looking around. The others were still sleeping peacefully and I looked to my hands, wincing when fire erupted in my palms. “This is going to be difficult to control,” I mumbled softly before looking around the dimly lit room. It was Spartan in decoration, but the bed was lavish, with tons of pillows and blankets. Amanda was close by, her mouth open slightly as she snored while Zoey and Ginger were pressed close together near the door. Ma and momma were missing from the room, but their empty covers were still messy. They probably hadn’t gotten up too long ago. The fire faded from my hands, leaving the room dark again so I pushed myself to my feet, tugging slightly on the large shirt I had borrowed from Achilles. I shuffled out of the room and down the hall, relaxing when I found a bathroom. After using it, I headed downstairs, grimacing at the natural light that floated in through an open window. It looked to be very early still, but I shuffled into a kitchen area, watching as momma and a large Asian boy cooked side by side.

They were softly talking to one another while ma sat at the island that separated the living room from the kitchen, her head in her hands. I walked over and took a seat, patting her shoulder and she looked to me before hugging me tightly. I frowned and hugged her back, resting my chin on her shoulder in hopes of calming her down. She was almost clutching me to her chest and when she moved back her eyes pupils were wide like a cats. “Sorry I...I had a nightmare and didn’t mean to wake you,” she said softly.

“I had a weird dream…memory?” I said before rubbing my chin in thought. Ma frowned down at me and I shrugged before running my fingers through my hair. “I remembered when Hephaestus came to see me. You still had long hair and were talking about my pupils,” I said with a frown. She blinked before laughing softly and gently rubbing my head, a fond smile appearing on her face.

“I remember that day. I was given the nickname Owl because I can make my pupils expand and shrink at will. When you were a toddler you inherited that from me, you were so cute,” she cooed, pinching my cheek. I scowled and waved her off before looking up when momma placed a plate down in front of us.

“I spoke with Hephaestus and he created some armor for all of you, disguised as normal clothes. Eat quickly,” she said. I nodded and began to eat, looking back when Achilles and Amanda stumbled into the room. Amanda yawned loudly and shuffled over, sitting heavily next to me and grumbling softly. Achilles took the seat next to her and gave me a tired smile before looking away when momma placed a plate down in front of her. Sighing softly, I turned back to my food and shoved some bacon into my mouth before thinking about my new powers.

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