FrostBitten (Percy Jackson)

//Currently 13 Chapters ahead over on my Patre0n with 10 more on the way. Help me reach my monetary goals and I'll drop 30 extra chapters at the end of every month.

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Goal: $8.91/$1200

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Chion spent the night at a nearby hotel, one he only managed to find after asking some folks near the outskirts of Canarsie Park since the map failed to list any. It wasn't anything fancy, but it definitely served its purpose, offering shelter and a place to recuperate.

After the never-ending day the white-haired haired youth had just gone through, he passed out the moment his head hit the pillow, only bothering to shower after he woke up some hours later. From waking up with zero memories of his own life to sprinting through the interconnected streets of Brooklyn, life hadn't exactly been the kindest, forcing the youth to fight for his life at every single turn. With the chance to finally relax without the fear of being killed mid sleep, Chion took full advantage of the opportunity, sleeping well into the afternoon. If anyone deserved the time to gather themselves, it was the one who had fought an elephant sized metal bull and swarm of man eating pidgeons.

In truth, the young amnesiac probably would have slept longer if the combination of bodily functions and hunger hadn't forced him out of bed.

Rubbing his face, Chion recollected himself, light streaming through the small crack in the curtains of the hotel window. His body ached in multiple places, and his muscles possessed a sort of weakness to them as if they were made of jello.

But at least he was alive.

Chion used the bathroom, washed his hands, changed into the only pair of clothes he had left, and immediately began fixing himself something to eat using the groceries he had purchased at the Mini Mart. A mixture of tuna, mayo, and some saltine crackers with a few drops of hot sauce, and the youth had his breakfast/lunch prepped and ready.

Definitely not a luxurious meal, but it was one that the boy rather enjoyed, using a plastic fork to shovel it all down.

While eating, Chion began making a mental list of everything he had learned about himself and his environment, things that he had undergone and observed.

The list was actually quite extensive.

For starters, there were the monsters.

The bronze bull had been a living machine, its body made up of various metals such as its silver horns and red eyes that Chion had only just realized were rubies. Despite its mechanical nature, the beast was able to feel emotion and show it in differing ways, such as frustration when it couldn't find the youth in Canarsie Cemetery and panic when it saw the Greek Fire. This meant the beast was sentient rather than just some hunk of metal, shoving it into the category of monster, just like the flesh hungry avians that had struck at him during his bike ride. Chion reckoned that if that thing existed as an actual creature, more of them probably existed as well, though this was mainly guesswork and had no concrete evidence to back it up.

As for the pidgeons, they weren't really that hard to categorize as abnormal entities that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

Their beaks were made from some sort of metal, most likely the same metal that Chions arrowheads were comprised of, sharing the same appearance. Their pitch black feathers could be used as projectiles, though they hardly used them after the youth had scared them away with his unexpected display of ice magic. By themselves, they were mere nuisances, but together, it was a miracle that Chion was even alive. The youth didn't know the full scope of their abilities, but he was more than aware that they possessed quite a bit of intelligence, or at least more than the bull had.

These creatures were menaces that didn't care about what needed to be done to get to Chion, endangering onlookers and damaging public property without a care. What made this odd was the lack of proper reaction from the incidents.

A lot of the bystanders had differing reactions to the beasts. Panick, frustration, disappointment, anger, maybe fear. But none of those reactions lasted for very long before they continued about their day, as if what had just happened to their environment or property had been just another day in the glorious city of New York. Chion didn't think he himself was the oddity in question, his own reactions to the danger being a mix of multiple negative emotions that stuck with him even now. By all accounts, everything was just off.

It called into question whether or not him and other New Yorkers were seeing the same thing. Again, though, he had no proof. Only assumptions.

Taking a step back from the monsters, Chion assessed himself and his genetics, namely his two mysterious abilities, magic and some kind of vision.

Shoveling what was left from his homemade bowl of tuna into his mouth, the white-haired youth finished off his meal, washing it down with a blue colored Gatorade.

Chion wasn't aware of what the average 13 year old was capable of, so he didn't bother running any diagnostics on his own physical capabilities and how they stacked up to others. Rather, the youth was far more concerned with his use of ice magic, something Chion was quite certain the typical person was incapable of. He had only used it once, so he wasn't sure about any of its usage or effects, or even how to use it in the first place. The youth would have to run some data gathering tests once he had figured out how to actually summon the ice on command. There was also a question as to if ice and snow were the ONLY things he could create or if he could potentially extend it to other elements or concepts. Such possibilities greatly intrigued Chion quite a bit.

As for the vision, certain things could be figured out from the things Chion had seen within the scenes to deduce what the power itself was.

The hill with the pine tree. The talk with the girl and older teenager. The boy in the arcade. Chion had no recollection of any of these locations or individuals within the given visions, no memory being sparked upon seeing them either. For all intents and purposes, the only thing the youth could actually surmise from the information he had was some possible form of future sight, a prophetic vision that could gaze into places Chiok had the potential of visiting. The youth didn't believe in any sort of set future, so, to him, the visions were a series of set paths that could happen depending on the choices he made.

Again, lacking evidence. However, the visions were definitely prophetic in nature, the conversation with the blonde girl being a good enough indication.

{{"Hey. Brain freeze, how lazy are you gonna be? You have responsibilities."}}

{{"Go easy on him, Annabeth. He only just got here."}}

(("You wouldn't call someone brain freeze unless there's something tied to it.....like my ice powers.")) Chion stood up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom, taking the bowl with him. (("Brain freeze could be a moniker for something else, but my theory would make the most sense. Also doubtful that she was talking to someone else since I would have seen them in the vision, not standing in their place."))

Rinsing the remnants of the tuna out, the youth quickly dried the bowl and the fork before shoving it back into the bottomless pit of a backpack.

Little by little, Chion began to pack up his things, throwing away empty scraps, putting groceries away, and remaking the bed. The hotel was nice and all, but he had to keep moving. If he wanted to learn more about himself and the dangerous world around him, he couldn't afford to simply play it safe. He NEEDED to pursue any clues that could lead him towards obtaining his memories and finding out why he had woken up with nothing but the clothes on his back, forced to struggle tooth and nail.

The visions were a good start. Starting with the very first one.

The pine tree.

Taking out the map, Chion tried to get a sense of where it might have been located. A near impossibility on the map he had, especially since nothing told him it was even IN New York, but it was all he truly had to rely on.

"I just need some clue. Anything." The youth softly bit the tip of his tongue. "Something to go off of."

Then a few words popped into his head, seemingly from thin air. Nothing like a voice, but more along the lines of a feeling of remembering something. It was odd since it didn't feel like something that Chion would know, but nevertheless, it was there.

DELPHI STRAWBERRY SERVICE.

Confused, Chion frowned as he glanced carefully over the map, neon blue hues scanning its surface. After a minute of scouring its surface, he came across what he was looking for, a sizeable patch of land located on Long Island. In a cursive scribble, unlike the rest of the texts on the map, were the same words that had popped into the forefront of the youths mind. Delphi Strawberry Service.

Immediately marking it on the map, giving it a circle in Sharpie, Chion began to memorize and carve out his route. He also carved out backup routes just in case there were any mishaps, including but not limited to car accidents, monster attacks, traffic jams, dead ends, dangerous individuals, or more monster attacks. The premise of travel was to get there in one piece. Couldn't do that if he was chewed up and spat out by the next big baddy that came along.

Folding up the map, Chion tucked it into his pocket and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Donning the blue hoodie he had picked up from Walmart, one he had grown quite attached to, it was time to get moving. The only thing he had left to do was move the lengthy dresser from the front of the door, one he had put there last night to discourage break-ins and alert him in case of unwanted visitors.

Letting out a breath of cold air, Chion left the room.

"Let's just hope this Strawberry place has some answers."

The decision to walk all the way there wasn't one that Chion found very appealing, so he took the safer option, figuring out how to call a cab using the landlines provided by the hotel.

The youth didn't know how far the trek was nor how long it would take him to get from point A to point B. He also would more than likely run into numerous creatures of the unsavory type during the course of his adventure, which was a hard pass. Taking on an unknown human assailant sounded much more plausible than engaging a swarm of pidgeons or a mechanical tank, especially since the human would be focused on driving. That was even if the driver was looking to start a conflict, which was such a low percentage that it was almost negligible. In any way Chion looked at it, the cab was the best route to pick in the current situation.

The cab pulled up a few minutes after the youth made the call, arriving in a bright yellow car reminiscent of a banana.

Clambering inside, Chion closed the door and whipped out his map of New York. Without the driver having to say a single word, the youth tapped the circled spot and handed it to the middle-aged driver. With cigar clutched in hand, the man took it and gave it a brief glance over. After a few moments, he handed it back.

Leaning towards the front, the smoker pulled out a lighter. "It's gonna take us around 2 and a half hours to get there with traffic. 350 up front, cash or debit."

Chion didn't even blink as he handed the man a whole $500. The man merely gave the kid a look as he counted the bills, an eyebrow raised with a questioning expression. Giving the driver an affirming nod, Chion leaned back in his seat and buckled up.

"You sure you wanna head there kid?" The driver asked, brown hues glancing at the teen from the rear view mirror. "There's nothing there but strawberry fields.

"I'm not sure," Chion answered honestly. "I guess I'll figure it out when I get there."

After that, the man fell silent, pulling out of the hotel parking lot and beginning the long drive to the requested destination. Chion zoned out, thinking about the possibilities awaiting him when he got there, trying his best to forsee an outcome that could help him. Really, any outcome at all that wasn't a dead end, be it good or bad. This was one of the only clues he had to work with aside from the two other visions that didn't offer any more than the talking pine tree had.

Eventually, some twenty minutes in, it began to rain. A light drizzle quickly became a torrent that blurred the passenger side windows quite considerably.

"So, what's troubling you if you don't mind me asking?" The driver was the first to break the ice. "Don't mean to pry, but a young man travellin' alone with a backpack? To the middle of nowhere?"

Chion pulled his gaze away from the window. "Let me ask you something instead."

"Okay."

"Let's say you were being hunted by monsters that wanted you dead to rights, and you had no memory of who you are or what was going on. How would you handle it?"

"Like, literally? Or is this a metaphor for something?" The drivers eyes were focused on the road, but Chion could still see the confusion written on his face. "I imagine most people would be dead in that situation if you mean literally. No memories? Monsters? I can't exactly run away fast enough. Just look at how I'm built. Would probably just lie down and give up or get crippled from the stress of the situation."

"Just like that?"

"Well, now. There isn't much anyone can do under normal circumstances. Unknown attackers and no memories that might help. I have a drive to live, but it takes more than that to truly do something that badass." The driver glanced briefly at the youth in the rearview. "If one could survive that situation and even defeat the monsters then they would have to be a different beast altogether. It greatly depends on the type of monsters but I reckon most people would be dead in a matter of minutes, maybe a day at the most. Now, if we're talking metaphorically-"

The driver fully launched himself into the topic, putting his whole chest into the question. Instead of giving a short answer and getting back to the question he had initially asked, he went in depth on what he thought. For the next 30 or so minutes, Chion listened to the man as they drove through the wide stretch of Long Island, rain coming down in sheets. Though the man was chatty and gruff looking, he was actually quite wise and well versed in the ways of life, no doubt something that stemmed from years of experience. Even with the youths situation being what it is, he managed to detract some words of encouragement and genuine advice from the man's long-winded speech.

It was only after they had traveled more than two thirds of the way to their destination that the driver asked the real question.

"Why did you want to know about it though? Being chased by monsters?"

Chion let out a small laugh, a nervous one that didn't quite come out all the way. "Of course not. It was just a hypothetical my friends came up with. The answer supposedly tells a lot about one's personality."

"And what about my personality?"

"Heck if I know," Chion smiled bitterly. "I didn't get the chance to ask them."

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It took a while, but the cab finally reached the intended destination, or at least what Chion believed to be the destination. With how hard it was coming down, it was difficult to discern anything except rows upon rows of strawberry fields in the far distance.

"This is the place. You sure you wanna get out here kid?" The driver unlocked the door, glancing back to the youth with a concerned look. "I can take you someplace else if you want. My treat."

"No, this is far enough." Whether or not it was the location, Chion had already made the decision to keep the man as far from himself as possible, unwilling to drag the stranger into his problems. "Thank you for the ride, as well as the explanation. It helped me out more than you might think."

"Don't mention it." The driver smiled, putting another cigar into his mouth. "You take care kid. Also, take this."

Reaching into the cup holders next to him, the driver pulled out a stack of cards slung together with a rubber band. Slipping one out, the gruff looking man handed it to the youth. Chion took it and gave it a once over.

FESTUS CAB SERVICE.

Forging A Path To Your Destination

"If you ever need a ride, no matter where you are, just dial the number on the card, then hang up. It's good for three uses. For now, it's the most I'm allowed to do. You have your struggles ahead of you, and the path you walk might be a long and painful one. Believe in yourself and persevere, drive towards your own destiny, and forge it with your own two hands." The drivers voice became a lot more serious, and a lot more powerful, as if something big was behind it. "There will be things you don't understand and things that you may not WANT to understand. Just know that things had to happen the way they did in order to keep the balance of everything and everyone in check. It's no fault of your own, but you'll have to suffer the consequences of another. I'm sorry."

"What are you-"

"If you go straight from this spot, you'll find a large Pine tree about half a mile into the woods. Pass that, and you'll be safe." Festus smiled, one filled with bitterness and sadness. "Good luck, Chionothýella Pagos. Your father would be proud."

The youth in question wasn't even sure how to process everything he had just heard, let alone properly formulate any sort of response. All the white-haired individual could do was thank the man and step out of the cab, Festus having already dismissed him from the vehicle. He wanted to stay, to bombard the man with question after question, to empty the mountain of inquiries that were rapidly taking root in the forefront of Chions head. Still, even if he wanted to, the youth would only be wasting his breath since the man would have explained everything already if he had been able to.

Giving the man a bow, something that just felt right in the moment, Chion closed the door, shouldering his backpack. The cab revved up and drove off into the rain, disappearing completely in the thick sheets of descending liquid.

A bombshell. That's the only way the teenager could describe what had just happened. An explosion of information that Chion hadn't prepared himself for, that he hadn't expected to happen in the slightest. For what felt like the longest, the youth merely stood in the road, being doused from head to toe in rainwater, his clogged brain halting for the first time since regaining consciousness a day prior. Too many unanswered questions. Too many mysteries that remained unsolved and were no closer to ever being solved. It was only when Chions palm began to itch that he snapped out of it, adrenaline shooting through his system.

Despite having been braindead, the white-haired amnesiac quickly took a battle stance as he looked around, prepared to either fight or flee.

It was hard to see in the pouring rain, but the youth could FEEL something watching him, and that's what had triggered his bodies adrenaline, sensing the approach a dangerous entity. Once again, just like back in Canarsie, Chion was once again back into the midst of something sinister.

There truly was no rest for the wicked.

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