37 C.C's Spa And Resort

//Help me reach $540 before the end of July. I'll rapid fire these chapters to reach that goal. 3 on here, 1 on Patre0n. Two chapters left to write. Every donation helps me keep consistency and prevents me from dropping the novel. EVER.

Patre0n.com/ShadowDrev

Goal: $271/$540

Also, Game Night is happening Monday night at 9 pm EST in my discord server. We'll be playing Among Us. Hope to see you there.

Discord:

https://discord.gg/AZnQSJQEGh

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The moment Circe spoke, it was as if the stars aligned, and in that moment, Chion felt like everything the woman said would have made perfect sense. She could've convinced him he was actually a seaturtle turned human, and he would have simply agreed with her, maybe even that Coke was the inferior drink. It was like some sort of spell had been cast on him, discarding logic and reasoning in exchange for admiration and loyalty to a woman he had only just met. There wasn't anything about her that physically appealed to him, Chion being more of a personality kind of guy, but rather simply her voice that enchanted him.

At least until it didn't. The effect of her voice lasted for the briefest of moments, just long enough for Chion to know it existed before dispersing altogether.

All it did was leave the youth feeling confused as the trio of women finished walking up to them.

"Circe, daughter of Hecate?" Chion frowned, his hand trailing towards Katavro fixed to his back hip. "Aren't you like a trillion years old or something? You turned Odysseus' men into pigs in the Odyssey. Unless we're talking about someone else."

Circe seemed to make a face, an eyebrow twitching. Whether it was due to the implication of her being old, the lack of respect in Chions' voice, or the recalling of past memories, it was hard to tell as she quickly tried to put back on a pleasant smile. Right from the jump, she looked rather irritated but continued on with her duties like nothing had happened.

"No. That was indeed me." Circe didn't even deny it, opening her hands. "Those were different times then, and a lot has changed. Please, come in and make yourself acquainted in our resort. We'll give you three a makeover, free of charge."

"Why free?"

Circe glanced towards Chion, eyes hiding a number of emotions. It seemed she already wasn't too fond of the white-haired youth. "Why? Well, it's the least I could do for family."

(("Family??")) Chion frowned.

"I'm sure you all have many questions. Come along, and we'll help as best we can. Judging from the looks of you, you could definitely use it." Circe wasted no time and turned around. "Right this way, please."

The trio didn't move right away, instead allowing the women to walk away from them a bit before conversing amongst themselves. Circe seemed to realize this rather quickly but didn't comment on it and simply stopped after they had traversed out of hearing range. Whether it was respect or just confident they'd follow, Chion wasn't exactly sure.

"So, a daughter of Hecate then. A sorceress." Annabeth touched her chin. "That'll make things difficult. Magic is hard to fight against."

"We don't NEED to fight her, but based on Chions track record, we probably will somewhere down the line." Luke glanced back at the goddess briefly. "She might spare Frost over here though since they're 'Family'. You related to Hecate or Helios by any chance? Or maybe Circe herself? Might make life easier if she went easy on us because you're related."

Chion let out a sigh. "When it comes to gods, have they ever cared about family? Don't think it makes a difference."

Luke didn't reply.

Annabeth looked at the white-haired youth. "For now, I think we should follow and get some information. If the Fleece is here, then we need to know where. All we have to do is snag it, even if they refuse to hand it over."

"If we can avoid confrontation, that would be for the best." Luke flexed his shoulders, loosening them up. "Seeing as how she's basically a goddess, our chances of beating her head on are slim to none."

Chion nodded. "If we get separated for whatever reason, handle yourselves and try to regroup."

Giving each other a look, they broke apart and fell in a line towards Circe, the goddess having patently waited for them to converse with one another properly. When the trio got close enough, the women continued their walk as if nothing had happened.

Something was tugging at the back of Chions brain, namely the dream he had had last night, the one about his father and the woman Jack Frost had deemed his mother. Taking into account the conversation they had, the woman in question could only have been a goddess, a relatively minor one compared to the big Olympians since he wasn't able to recognize her on the spot. Circe calling him family. The torches and the way Jack's mom had looked. Chions excessively strong ice magic. There could only be one conceivable outcome when all the facts and details had been shoved together.

"My grandmother was Hecate." Chion moved up slightly, almost falling in line with the goddess. "Which makes you-"

"You're aunt," Circe interrupted without glancing back. "I was told you didn't have many memories to pull from. For you to figure out the family tree....maybe there's hope for you after all. Though you still look rather ragged. No worries, though. We'll have you looking right again in no time. You just need a few touchups here and there, and you'll be right as rain."

"Right. Or turn us into pigs." Luke muttered this under his breath, but Circe heard it and turned around slightly.

Letting out a sigh, the goddess made an X over her chest. "I swear on the River Styx that I will not turn any of you into pigs."

There hadn't been a single cloud on the horizon, but thunder crackled through the sky the moment Circe finished her promise. Despite having never seen such a display before, Chion reasoned that the woman had just made a pact that even affected the gods. This assumption lined up with the Odyssey and the Iliad, both of which referenced the River Styx being used to make binding oaths. Still, Chion wasn't an idiot. Just because she made a very specific pact didn't mean that she wouldn't find some loophole within the wording. He noted that the newly made promise was only in regards to herself and not her compatriots. It also didn't exclude any other form of assault or even any other animals, only focusing on pigs as a whole.

Maybe he was looking too far into it, though. Either way, as always, he wasn't about to let his guard down.

The island housing the Spa And Resort was actually much larger than what Chion had envisioned, containing a lot more than what a normal spa and resort would probably have. White marble and blue water extended everywhere one looked, reflecting the rays from the freshly risen sun. Nearly every single building was sculpted from the same material, giving it an almost unearthly feeling, as if it had been crafted by masters. Terraces climb up the side of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected by waterslides and waterfalls and underwater tubes one could swim through. Fountains sprayed water into air, forming impossible shapes, like flying eagles and galloping horses. There were also all kinds of tame animals like a sea turtle napping on a stack of beach towels and a leopard stretched out asleep on a diving board.

The most prominent of these animals was a large pitch black wolf slightly larger than that of a full-grown horse, maybe a tad smaller than the Hellhounds Chion ran into by the Camps Borders.

When the six of them had walked by the relaxing canine, none of them seemed to take note of the beast, as if it wasn't even there. However, as for the animal itself, it sensed them pretty easily, turning to open its eyes the moment they passed by it. Chions neon blue hues connected with the wolfs crimson red ones, two gazes filled with intelligence meeting.

As much as the youth wanted to stop and get a better look, he kept on moving, bypassing the wolf altogether.

Continuing onwards, they reached a place that could only be described as the main room, an area where the whole front wall was windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, making it look like it went on forever, and there was also a bunch of expensive-looking white furniture placed meticulously in various places. In a corner, there was an oddly placed cage on a table, one completely empty. There was also a loom, the size of a big screen TV, which shimmered like it was three dimensional- a waterfall scene that was so real one could see the water moving and clouds drifting across a fabric sky. They also had a library, it seemed, Chion noting it when they eventually passed on by.

"You three arrived here by boat, correct? Only way to travel here really." Circe stopped them as they entered an adjoining room, a place that looked similar to that of a lobby or an office room. "No doubt you slept already but you also probably didn't have much to eat. There'll be lunch to partake in later today, so have no fear. As for our makeovers, I would like to get them out of the way."

Again, for the briefest of moments, Chion felt her words have a much larger impact. It wrapped around his consciousness and dulled his senses and logic by a drastic margine, making it difficult to refute anything the goddess was saying. It immediately disappeared while Circe was talking, but it did nothing to help the youths' immense confusion. He was already aware she was using some kind of magic, maybe something with her voice that worked as a kind of aphrodisiac, but he couldn't prove it. Any assumptions could just as easily be denied. He WAS aware that it didn't seem to work on him, though, either by his genetics or some other outside force.

Circe stepped over to Annabeth, a smile on her face. "Annabeth, my dear. Let's get a good look at you."

Holding her at arms length, the sorceress gave her a thorough once over, eyes tracing over her face, body, outfit, hair, and so on. It genuinely felt as if she was checking to see where the blonde stood at and how she could possibly improve. After a few seconds of searching, she made a few clicking noises with her tongue, as if disapproving.

"We have much work to be done." Circe stepped back and gestured towards the woman in blue, the one who had been tailing her for a while now. "Hylla, come and attend to the girl. I'll work on these two.....gentlemen."