Meeting my mom and my name

[Elysium, January 4th 2004]

The clash of metal against metal echoed through the sparring arena as Hector and I fought once again. My butt hurt from the riding, and the pressure that Hector kept on putting me in, with his very long lance, formally known as a xyston and his higher mastery over the horse.

I raised my shield blocking the xyston but it felt the impact threw me off the horse as I dangled from the saddle.

"Dammit, this is unfair Hector you have more reach and you're stronger than me, I totally blocked that yet it wasn't enough." I whined, which may have been slighlty childish but it was super unfair I mean the reach alone was an advantage that I couldn't close no matter how much more I improved at fighting on horseback though I still sidn't come close at what Hector could do.

"Don't whine Ozzy it doesn't suit you, besides you are improving that is more than enough for now."

The copies of my dad in the stand melded into whine and teleported beside me, unbuckling me from my saddle which led to me falling on the smooth cobble stone.

"Come on kid, get up there is someone here to see you."

My father, Hector and I (still on the floor) turned to see a man standing at the edge of the arena. He had a weathered face, a short beard, eyes that seemed to embody cunningness and a slighlty green aura surrounding him.

"Odysseus," Hector greeted him with a nod. "To what do we owe this visit?"

"I heard about this spars of yours and I wanted to tell exactly what the fuss was all about," Odysseus said with a smile. "Best thing is I heard he had my name."

I wiped the sweat from my brow and stepped forward. "Ozzy short for Odysseus," I introduced myself, extending a hand towards the person whom my name was based on. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Likewise," Odysseus replied, shaking my hand. His grip was firm but not overpowering. "I've heard much about you, Ozzy. Beating Hector is not a small feat."

We walked out of the arena together, leaving Hector and my father behind. Odysseus and I found a quiet spot under a large olive tree. The shade was a welcome relief from the heat of the sparring arena.

"So, Ozzy," Odysseus began, leaning against the tree. "How do you feel about your name."

I chuckled. "Well besides from having the hate of a Poseidon it is honestly pretty awesome."

"Yeah sorry about that but not like it's exactly my fault," Odysseus mused. " After all I needed to reach Ithaca after the war, though thinking back on it I probably should have killed Polyphemus or at least not told him my name I kind of fucked our name over."

I laughed. "I mean under your circumstances it isn't exactly like I can fault you, but you did fuck us over."

Odysseus's expression showed a grin as his green aura increased as we talked. "I've heard that you're pretty good with a bow I guess that comes with the name, we should spar some time."

I nodded at his words, after all facing the most famous host of my name was an exciting prospect to say the least.

Finishing my talk with Odysseus as we walked back to his abode, where Penelope was waiting for him I noticed a presence appear behind me after Odysseus entered his place. His black tendril hair gave him away instantly even though his aura alone was enough of a giveaway, it was Erebus, my father.

"What now dad," I said looking still at the place my name holder went to.

"Ozzy," he replied, his voice deep and resonant. "It's time."

"Time for what?" I asked, after all I was already doing everything that this labor demanded of me.

"To meet your mother," Erebus said, his words echoing in my head.

Erebus placed a hand on my shoulder. In an instant, the world around us shifted. The suburban houses disappearing around us, changed to mansions, lakes and perfect shrubbery, I was one the Isles of the Blest.

Even with my blindness, I could feel the divinity emanating from the golden structures. The air was thick with a sense of peace and reverence. Before us stood a woman with a ponytail, her aura a vibrant blue that outshone everyone else I had ever met, dad (Chiron), Kevin, Thalia no one even came close to hers.

The woman ran towards me as soon as she saw me, tears welling in her eyes hugging me with so much strength that the air escaped from my lungs.

Her embrace was both fierce and gentle, a mix of desperate longing and overwhelming love. I felt her tears on my shoulder as she held me close, and for a moment, and while this may have been an emotional moment for her, I simply felt nothing after all this was the first time I was seeing her, she was like a stranger, a stranger that was pouring her motherly affections on me, but a stranger nonetheless.

"My sweet shadow," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You've grown so much, I've missed you so so much."

I hugged her back simply because I had felt bad if I hadn't, but my face stayed the same as before. "Yeah hi mom," I managed to say,awkwardly . "Nice to finally meet you."

She backed away seeming to notice the awkwardness in my voice. "Sorry, little one I know this may be awkward for you how about we start over."

"Sure my name is Odysseus though most people call me Ozzy son of Chiron, Erebus and…. you."

As she heard my name she started mouthing it repeatedly probably trying to remember it as soon as possible before she replied "My name is Edna Atonal daughter of Aphrodite and your mother."

"Wait I'm an Aphrodite kid damn Emma was right, guess I have to apologize to her when I see her again."

Trying to steer the conversation I continued "So how come you couldn't raise me? I know it probably had something to death but I still wonder."

She sighed at my words,as I noticed the sadness and disappointment in her voice "When you were born it was the hardest and happiest moment of my life, but your own scent and mine mixed making us prime targets for monsters so much so that a few minuets after your birth I could tell that something was coming after us, turns out it was a group of leukrokottas in that moment I had to leave you in the forest while I drew away the monsters, but sadly I was killed by them and I cousln't even name you before I passed."

Without noticing my mother and I started conversing more and more as she asked me questions about my life and I asked her about hers, Erebus also joined in on our conversation when it came to talking about their love story, which was a cool story in it and of itself.

My mother and a group of her friends had received a quest that had to do with taking a part of Persephone's beauty a copy of a labour Psyche one did, while in the Underworld mom's friends did things that ended up either getting enchanted by the fields of punishment, the rivers or monsters like hellhounds.

They hadn't beeen able to even find Persephone yet so in despair my mother climbed up to the walls of Erebus and was about to jump when my dad formed at her side, and from there everything else came, which resulted in little old me.

Our talk ended finally when we reached my mom's place in the Isles of the Blest where we ate cookies and pringles that formed out of thin air.

[Greek Myth Fact: The Isles of the Blest, in Greek mythology, the Isles of the Blest, also known as the Fortunate Isles or the Islands of the Blessed, were a group of islands considered to be a paradisiacal afterlife realm where heroes and virtuous men resided after death. These islands were thought to exist in the Atlantic Ocean and were associated with the concept of Elysium, a utopian location in the Greek underworld.

The legend states that these islands were reserved for those who had been reincarnated three times and had managed to be judged pure enough to gain entrance to the Elysian Fields each time. The poet Pindar described the Isles of the Blest as having shady parklands, with residents indulging in athletic and musical pastimes, embodying the ideal life for the ancient Greek aristocracy.

The concept of the Isles of the Blest evolved over time, with some accounts reducing the number of islands to one and others associating them with different geographical locations. They were sometimes identified with real islands near the mouth of the river Danube on the Black Sea or in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Isles of the Blest represented the ultimate reward for a life well-lived, offering a peaceful and joyous existence free from the troubles of the mortal world. It was a place where the favored by the gods could dwell in eternal bliss.]

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