CHAPTER XXXIV:The Demigod, Orochi.

I woke up to see Penny was already gone, and Seth was outside humming a song. I couldn't make it out, but it sounded very familiar. I listened closely trying to guess it, it was a bit hard since I just woke up, but I finally recognized the song as Echo by Starset which was one of Seth's favorite bands. Seth always enjoyed bands that sang about mythology, and Starset always ranked on the top of that list.

I got up, got dressed in my Athena looking clothes, and walked out onto my balcony feeling the unnaturally cold air. Sunlight covered the golden fields, and turned the rivers into liquid gold.

"You don't like it here, huh?" Seth asked.

"I do, but it feels off. Unlike the rest of the Underworld. Truth be told I'd rather be living with dad." I answered.

"You're drawn to death, more than most kids of Hades. You belong in the main part of the Underworld, but Hades keeps you here cause Zeus won't hurt you here if he gets smite happy again." Seth said.

I nodded knowing he meant my near death experience and watched the guards move about in patrols.

"Heavy patrols, if any gods attack they'll have some hell getting through." Seth noted looking around with me, "Did you hear that some kid came into school and took like three bounties, and walked out?" He said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah Jupiter's Strikers stopped anyone trying to get in the kids way. Apparently he had samurai armor, Japanese swords, and a Samurai half mask. According to the Strikers his name is Orochi. He's one of those rogue demigods that just come into the school to get bounties." Seth answered sitting next to me.

Rogue demigods, I only heard of them a few times but I never heard of Orochi. My thoughts wandered to if I'd ever seen him before. You'd think I'd remember a kid in samurai armor with katanas in a school of kids in school uniforms, and Roman armor with spears and swords.

"Who's his god parent?" I asked.

"Zeus, that's why the Strikers know him." Seth answered looking over all of the fields of Elysium.

There were few buildings scattered throughout the area, but trees covered most of the area. Past that it was just open fields and long rivers. I turned to Seth and he was motionless, almost like he was frozen in place. I looked out and saw that Elysium looked like a picture. Blades of grass stuck in place, and leaves stuck in the wind like an animal in ice.

"Sorry, but we need to talk alone." A girls voice called out, I looked around, and couldn't see anyone, "above you." the soft voice called out again.

I looked above me at the vines surrounding the entrance to my room. I saw two white eyes staring at me. It was my snake, and it could actually talk. The snake moved down the vines, and down to the floor.

"That Athena girl, you like her." My snake said.

I tried to process my snake talking for a bit. The snake talking was foreign to me, even after seeing Medusa. Then again Medusa's voice was more of a hiss, but my snake had my voice.

My snake moved to the railing and climbed up it with no difficulty. Her body swirled around the concrete poles effortlessly like a black and white vine. My face felt hot when my snake said that I'd liked Penny (at least when it finally processed that is).

"I'm not here to judge, just be careful. Remember what the Oracle said. Don't give up your half of her spirit. It's already saved your life once." My snake said.

"With Thanatos, right?" I asked leaning against the railing next to the snake.

I noticed the sunlight reflecting off her Opal and Pearl colored scales. She looked beautiful, especially for a snake.

"Yes, there's a reason he tried to get you to eat the pomegranate. It would've made you his wife, technically, and the second you lost the spirit you would've died." The snake said curling her lower half into a ball.

"Alright. I'll be more careful with my emotions." I said.

"You better mean that, Mary. This took a lot of power to do, and I can't constantly check up on you." The snake said resting her head unto the rest of her body.

"I swear on the Styx I won't give up the spirit till the time comes." I said watching the snake curl up tighter.

It seemed to almost nod at me, and then I seemingly blacked out. Like someone had suddenly covered my eyes, and when I opened them I was in a chair next to Seth.

No time had passed, but everything was back to normal except the fact that I was sitting down. Blades of grass were swaying in the wind, and leaves flew through the air like they normally would. However I felt exhausted. Like all of the energy was drained from me in a second. I laid back in my chair a bit, and dozed off. Oh gods that was a mistake.