Shadow Money Wizard Gang Chapter 3 (Patreon)

After eating, Luke pushed aside his plate and asked curiously. "Sooo with how new you are. Got any questions that may have come up after getting a minute to actually sit and absorb your situation?"

I paused and then nodded. "Yeah, sooo what's up with quests and such? Is that something all demi-gods want, with how you can get a boon to 'demand' a quest of the gods?" 

Luke paused before he exhaled and said with a helpless smile. "Don't... Don't be in a rush to get a quest like I was. Otherwise, you may ruin your handsome mug like I did."

Seeing my raised eyebrow, he sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, everyone wants a quest for a variety of reasons. To gain the attention of their divine parent. To extend their lifespan, to earn riches, and most importantly... Power, raw power gained from the divine favor of the divine issuing the quest."

"But it's not that easy. Quests beyond the camp's borders draw the eyes of fate... Not just the Greek Pantheon's fates either. When you run out on a quest, you will be an epicenter of fate and thus will attract every monster close to you regardless of the Pantheon they belong to."

He sighed and said helplessly. "I had to go across the country. Arguably one of the hardest quests to begin with as I had to pass through half a dozen Pantheon's own territories just there. And even when I 'accomplished' my quest in taking a golden apple from Ladon's tree."

He shook his head and his eye's went hollow as he said quietly. "I went in a party of twelve in honor of the Olympians as this was such a major quest... One died on the way there when we went further then Mt Orthy's and a Hindu Rakshasa attacked us."

He took a breath and then said. "We got the apple without losses or even trouble due to the leader of the Aphrodite Cabin being with us and she could put Ladon himself into a coma after a couple of hours singing to him. But the return trip..."

"Every monster possible attacked you guys on the way back being drawn to the apple?" I said in partial realization.

But no, he shook his head with a frown and spat. "No. The fucking celts, the norse war bands of wandering demi-gods attacked us to take the apple for their own to trade with their gods for multiples of their own Pantheons lesser divine Golden Apples."

"Six of us died there... I got this scar here on my face fighting a son of Thor and my friend Annabeth was almost-"

He drew off. And seeing the utter fury and hate in his eyes. I realized it wasn't Annabeth about to kill that had him so filled with raw hate.

"A couple Hunter's of Artemis hearing the screams of my party members in the forest we were pass through to avoid the monster population in cities came to our aid... And even then we lost another member of the group to a horde of wandering Centaurs."

He shook his head and said with finality. "The rewards... Were great, for coming back. But was it worth the losses even if we brought Glory to Olympus?"

He didn't finish. To say anything in here, under the gaze of the gods would be heresy but I understood.

Still I nodded and with that we both went our seperate ways. I went back to the Hermes cabin as I needed to get my shit together and make no sticky fingers took my little bit of money and supplies.

After getting back to the Hermes cabin, I went down the weird spatial elevator to get to my floor and I entered my very small private room. 

"Alrighty... Time to get to work." I said with a thoughtful frown as I took out a bronze bowl I had gotten from the camp store.

And then with some basic broken-down powder chalk, I added a tiny bit of pure water and then I added a few dozen drops of my blood to it before I began stirring the mixture together.

"Now I need to add some essence of moon as well to make it especially as strong at night." I mused to myself as I needed to get a very wide pitcher of water and only when where the moon was reflected on the water.

I needed to take the water to turn the paste into an actual paint that I could thus paint on the doorway to give my door a bloodied lock that would block anyone not with my bloodline within themselves.

Though... That may let other children of Hecate in my room, that didn't mean I wouldn't also be adding actual offensive curses to boot for anyone who presses for a surprise.

But that was enough for now. 

With the door at least secured for now, I relaxed on my bed with a sigh as I looked up at the ceiling and muttered. "Hey Jake... At least the girls are fucking hot at least."

And with that, I went to sleep. My mind being dragged into Morpheus's realm.

-

Waking up however I could literally feel with my magically attuned soul how I left the sleeping gods realm and returned to the waking world. 

"That... Is fucking trippy." I muttered quietly with a loud yawn before stretching and I got ready for the day.

Strapping my wand to my wrist, tying my dagger to my waist, and getting some clean clothes before I went to go use the communal showers to get ready for the day.

Once I got my morning stuff done, I was out and about on the grounds of Camp Halfblood and headed straight to breakfast, where I saw Luke was talking to some other senior members of our cabin.

And seeing me he gave me a head nod before waving me over. 

As I approached, he held out a pamphlet and said firmly. "Here you go, Jake. Camp Halfblood is, although very hands-off in terms of organized training. But here are the times when classes on certain subjects are held by senior members of the camp, Chiron, and on some occasions, important guest teachers."

I took the paper with a nod of thanks before I did the ritual of scraping off some of breakfast. And just to be cheeky, I asked for green eggs and ham before I pushed the food into the fire, much to the amusement of the other campers who got the reference.

And the food tasted just fine even with the color change... So hopefully my 'mom' woudn't get pissy about it.

Either way, with breakfast going into my stomach. I focused on the lessons for today and the rest of the week as apparently each week was different with different guest speakers and such.

'In canon PJ, Percy has literally only a single swordsmanship lesson with Luke, and with how 'talented' he was. The series never showed him training another day again... Also, he was so bad with a bow that his arrow ricocheted off a target, and went back to hit Chiron's horse ass. Making Chiron ban Percy from the archery fields.' I mused as I read this much more standard list.

And with this standard list, it made sense why they didn't 'force' anyone into the lessons, as I could tell the teachers weren't the type to have patience.

Today's camp lesson was spear-wielding... Taught by Achilles.

Of which I wasn't interested in, honestly. Using a spear would limit my magic abilities as I needed a free hand to cast most of the magic I had access to at the very least.

"Tomorrow has Chiron teaching archery. The next day has... Some weird name I can't pronounce, teaching swimming. Meh. None of these lessons includes throwing monster-killing fireballs." I muttered with a frown.

And after a moment of thought, I exhaled in annoyance before I stood up and headed off towards the sparring arena in hopes of getting some amount of swordsmanship lessons in.

And the sparring field was a large... Very large field that was broken apart into separate arenas made out of various materials to simulate fighting in different environments. Along with their being a dedicated medical tent on the side as well.

On the side of the arena, I saw another member of the Hermes cabin, though I didn't recognize him, so I walked over and asked. "Hey, I am new and was wondering where I can get some armor or something to spar with someone?"

He gave me a searching look before he blinked and grinned. "Ah yeah, I remember seeing you talk to Luke last night. Jake right? My name is Fredric Alanso, Son of Hermes. Yeah you go over there next to the medical tent and there is a shed behind it to get armor."

I was a bit curious as to why the equipment shed was right next to the medical tent... Until I realized that to get the equipment on and off. You would be in the sight of the healers in charge of the tent and they could easily catch the dumbass children of Ares who wanted to shrug off some bad bruises and such.

So without much fanfare, I got some Greek-style armor in a leather chest plate, a helmet, and padded leggings that went down to the top of my knees without messing with my mobility along with a training sword that was still made out of Celestial Bronze.

But it had very flat edges and a finger tip wide tip so it was 'as safe as possible'. The sword itself was in the shape of a Xiphos though it's flared end was even fatter then usual which I appreciated.

I didn't want a sword to elegantly duel with after all. I wanted a sword I could hack a bastard who got too close with so I could hit them with my fancy spells and shit.

And seeing me come up Fredric waved me over and said with a grin. "Hey Jake! I found you someone nice and gentle to be your first sparring partner!"

Then my face pinched as an utterly beautiful, stunning, and devilishly sensual woman strode over with a serrated sword that shrieked as it grew in length as it became a whip sword of segmented blades.

The woman smiled with her teeth showing as she said in a voice that was liquid velvet and made my dick literally twitch at her soul stirring voice. "Hello Jake. My name is Hamara, daughter of Aphrodite."

And in the back of my mind... I remembered my classics in my old life and her name. Was a little to close phonetically to Hamartia- Which meant Flaw in judgement in greek.

With she was a daughter of Aphrodite. It was also a clear fucking sign to me, that her name literally meant she was a walking sign for men to make fatal errors in judgment.

I gave Fredic a look of 'Wtf you doing bro?' And he said sheepishly. "Come on man, she won't bite... Hard, anyway I owed her a favor and throwing you the wolves makes us even haha!"

With that, my cabin mate abandonded me. Betrayed me as Hamara throatily chuckled as she approached with her voice filled with sadistic joy as she said. "Calm yourself Jake... I removed the hydra venom my bladed whip is normally coated with. And the arena is enchanted to aid in me not cutting out your throat or eyes."

I took a breath and with my Xiphos in hand I looked her right in the eye... And I said as a statement of fact. "You go for my dick with that whip, and I will curse your hair to fall out." 

And my words made her seductive act pause utterly before she chuckled and said with a lick of her lips. "Oh? So even being the new kid, you got thorns. That's fine. Come on then."

I wasn't worried about her doing lasting harm to me as I could see all around me. A lot of the demigods are currently getting their own ass-whooped by clearly senior camp members and even the odd dryad/nature spirit.

Clearly, this sparring area was purely to push us to our limits and past them and there was no shame in losing here... But if she did some weird shit I was going to get real petty.