"She's gone."
The crying that followed made Alecto feel horrible and empty. The house was empty, only his mother and him and the local healer, who announced the death. His younger sister, Caime, was the third in their family to have fallen from the plague. First was his father, then his brother Kairos followed not long after. Now, it was only him and his mother, Megara. The plague in Athens was only getting worse. Everyday when Alecto walked out of his house, the masses of rotting bodies piled on the streets only increased. His father and brother were somewhere in that pile, and now, Caime would join them. It was morbid, sickening. The pandemic was unstoppable.
Alecto was one of the lucky few who have managed to evade the terrible disease, but his mother, although she was evidently trying not to show it, had the early symptoms. This knowledge pained Alecto, especially as his mother downplayed it. He couldn't lose the only family he had left. Months passed, and the disease worsened, and as did his mother's health. Alecto was beginning to blame Apollo. Apollo was the god of Plagues, and what kind of God left people in their state of weakness and near-death? He was furious. Alecto cursed Apollo, and in this state of growing madness, he swore to destroy everything related to the god.
From relics, to statues, to laurel trees, his sacred animals, he'd destroy and slaughter them all. Alecto showed no mercy to these things. His mother wanted him not to stop, she warned him that the god would curse him if he continued this madness. Alecto didn't listen. He kept doing it. One day, he met Eva. Eva was a healer, but she blamed herself for being unable to heal the Greeks out of their epidemic. She was on the brink of suicide, even, but Alecto stopped her before she tried. That was how their friendship started: they begin meeting up regularly, and gradually became closer. Before he knew it, Alecto was harboring feelings for the pretty woman.
All this shattered when Alecto found Eva using her powers to heal an injured raven in the field where they usually met. The light coming out of her palms proved enough for Alecto. The rage he felt was indescribable. He slaughtered both Eva and the bird out of complete ire. It was too late when Alecto came out of this reverie: Eva's dress was stained with crimson, blood was pooling out of where he stabbed her. He horrified himself, the guilt was even worse. You would think that was already bad enough to live with, but then Apollo himself appeared in front of Alecto. The words of Alecto's mother echoed through his head, and for once, the man regretted his desire for revenge.
Apollo cursed him, naturally. "Your first born son, and his sons after him, shall be driven to madness when he turns 19. This is your punishment for having taken the life of my precious child." Those words repeated themselves through Alecto's head for decades to come, until the birth of his first son. Apollo's curse was true, when Alecto's first son turned 19, he was psychotic. Alecto himself couldn't stop the boy from killing everything in sight. This curse carried on from generation to generation, long after the death of Alecto and his son, and his son, and so on.
Camela was a descendant of Alecto, born sometime in the 1750's. Her older brother, Ashton, as she knew, was a madman. She was aware of the curse, and oh boy, she wished her ancestor didn't go f*ck up like that. It was a terrible, terrible pain to bear with. Camela and her family could barely restrain her brother. It was like handling a baby, only this was a one grown man. Then one day, Camela just ran off, leaving her family to deal with the mess that was her brother. Running away, was most likely the worse way of dealing with one's problems. But she was tired and wanted anything except having to deal with Ashton's psychopathy. She traveled, under the pseudonym Louise. She met Prometheus, who was aware of the curse the family bore. But even so, they had an affair. Camela was pregnant a month later, when Prometheus had left. She was anything but ecstatic. The curse, the curse would go through her child.. as long as he wasn't a son. Camela prayed and prayed that the child would be born a girl.
It was a boy. Camela, too scared to deal with the outcome, left him to an orphanage. But the woman left a note, Beware at the age 19, son. I apologize for everything. The boy was simply named Fen. No surname, he didn't have one. Fen found his way around, even after reading the note, when the patrons gave it to him at 10, he didn't understand, but he took Camela's word. So he, along with several others, fended for themselves. Growing up, he had the mates in his orphanage. They stood for one another. Fen lived... fairly ordinarily and oblivious to the supposed curse he bore as a first son. It was a mouthful, to bear with a curse and be a demigod at the same time. However, as Prometheus' son, Fen only felt the symptoms of a demititan at 14. Stymphalian birds, large, spine-chilling monsters chased after him. It was only fortunate another demigod was there and saved him from a gory death. A son of Zeus, struck the birds with lightning. The boy's name was Sage, he had black hair and very unique facial features. His grey eyes were very striking. Sage had just finished a quest and was heading back to camp when he found Fen. He made Fen follow him to a place called, "Camp Half-Blood", where it was safe for someone like him. Fen was so confused, but did so. He unwillingly left everything behind for this stranger, but Sage was kinda cute.. this was scandalous.
Mid-way to getting to the place, Sage and Fen found themselves in a hotel. Not any normal hotel, this was the Lotus Hotel,he or back in those days, the Lotus Inn. They fell into it's spell, and didn't leave, for a very, very long time. By the time they broke out of it, with the help of Sage's realization and him snapping Fen out of it too, it was the 21st century. Fen and Sage were startled at the change of atmosphere, and were gawking at everything. They eventually adjusted to the change, but they both agreed that a lot of things made no sense. Those reality shows on that moving picture box device thing (apparently, they're called televisions) made no sense, neither did the vehicles with wheels, this was the first time Fen had seen something without a horse pulling it. The duo stuck out of society like two sore thumbs.
The days went like this: earning money by street performing, running away from monsters every other hour, sleep on a bench in the park, walk to the destination. Sage had assumed the location of this camp hadn't changed, so these two were stuck on a leisure marathon all the way to New York City. Sometimes they had to fight a few monsters; stymphalian birds, harpies, chimeras, hellhounds, the whole lot. They sometimes did the thing other Americans did, "hitch hike" as they call it. The people who brought them to the destinations were friendly enough, however was one time this one taxi driver was a scythian dracaenae in disguise, but Sage killed her with this bronze metal sword. Speaking of Sage, Fen didn't know what to make of him. He was a companion, a really good friend, not to mention, real handsome. What the hell was he gonna do?
They were staying in a simple motel, and Fen was watching a moving picture film that the 21st century called "a movie". Sage was there too, having just came out from showering. Fen didn't know what happened in the rest of it, but Sage had kissed him. It was the most vibrant memory he had of that night. It was the most confusing one too. Eventually, the two found camp. They only survived because of Sage's prowess in combat, Fen would say. When Fen went through the borders, he was immediately claimed a son of Prometheus. For some reason after that, Sage drew a little distant from him, much to Fen's confusion. However, Sage started talking to him again in the few days that came affterwards.
For the next four years, Fen was in and out of camp every one or two weeks, sometimes alone, sometimes with Sage, sometimes with others. Fen just really liked to travel often, and fight monsters he came across. He was completely adjusted into the new century, and he still had that complicated relationship with Sage, which would probably remain complicated for all he knew. Sometimes they talked, sometimes the back haired male just outright ignored him. Sometimes they kissed, sometimes Sage pushed him away for days, occasionally even weeks. He didn't know why. Sage was an eccentric male, he was unpredictable as he was smart. Maybe that's why Fen liked him so much. He was content with the life he lived, however.. something had to change eventually. A year later, Fen had just turned 19, and he was in camp after a recent trip out. He faintly remembered that note his mother gave him centuries ago, he just couldn't figure out what. He did remember it was a warning. Another week after his coming of new age, Fen and Sage were assigned to a quest, along with three others. Sage was taking the lead. It was a rabid demigod, who's been heard of causing chaos by killing both nymphs and demigods in Chicago.
Turns out, the demigod responsible for so many deaths was a daughter of Asteria, who happened to be.. a titan. Instead of retrieving the demigod.. they killed her. Sage killed her, much to Fen's horror and disbelief. That was when he realised, Sage had a grudge against titans. It actually all made sense to Fen now. He practically ignored demititans at camp, the harsh glares at the cabins, and him on and off hating and loving Fen... he asked Sage why. Sage gave him a simple answer of: "A group of demititans killed my family all those years before, I won't forgive what they've done." This led to a clash between the two, it resulted in Sage's attempt to kill Fen. Fen's curse may have been triggered by this sudden change in Sage. The madness consumed him, and in blind rage he killed his complicated lover, and then the other terrified questors. He felt betrayed, he felt devastated, and he just lay next to Sage's corpse, not making a sound as tears fell over his face.
Fen knew he couldn't go back to camp, so he ran away with what little supplies he had left. He had showed exactly what Sage had thought of demititans, and he knew.. he knew that will never change even after Sage's death. Sage's beliefs that demititans were evil, heartless, very well then, he'll show him just exactly how heartless he is. Fen, especially now with his newfound curse, was somewhat of a rageful warrior. He killed, he plundered, so on and on. Each death he caused, both monsters and demigods, died in some sort of horrible way, and no one could stop him. He never forgot Sage, and he never will. Romance never lasted long, not for this mad demititan. Fen, during the time his mind wasn't overturn with ire, eventually heard through grapevines about the rise of this faction called the Champions of Othrys. Fen decided, he should join their cause, but for his own selfish reasons of revenge. Not that he would tell them why, of course. Madness can keep it's secrets.
