Upgraded Arsenal

//2 more chapters today. As usual, donate if you can. Helps me reach my goal.

Patre0n.com/ShadowDrev

Goal: $278/$420

Danmachi will be uploaded tomorrow. 3 chapters. If I get 2 new subs by today, I'll post it on Webnovel for free for everyone. I don't like paywalling.

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Chion had never thought he would have to play the role of therapist, especially since he himself wasn't even up to code on his past and his own problems. Yet, for the next hour or so, he stood by the steering wheel talking Luke through his past and his own inner turmoil using nothing but a calm voice and simple logic. It definitely felt odd helping someone much older than he himself was, not to mention one that had had much more life experience, but he wasn't going to question it. His friend had clearly been bottling things up for the longest and needed an ear and a sort of guiding hand.

He didn't need to be good at it. All Chion had to do was point the son of Hermes in a direction and hope the teen reached his own conclusion along the way.

Within that time frame of a rough hour, Chion learned a lot about Luke, him divulging more than the brief summary during the game of War not too long ago. About his mother, who was crazy and not mentally well. About his run-in with Halcyon Green, a child of Apollo punished for interfering with fate. About his run-in with the Hunters of Artemis and his first meeting with his father Hermes, the Messenger God, the same being who had delivered the backpack for Athena. This part was one that seemed to make Luke the angriest as he recounted the meeting with his dad and how he had learned nothing of importance despite the god revealing he knew the teens fate.

A large part of Luke's hatred seemed to stem from neglect and the absence of his father, as well as the need to win his father's approval. This was backed by the fact that it was apparently Hermes who had given Luke the quest that ended with a scar etched onto his face. When he eventually failed and returned home, it probably felt as if he had somehow failed his father's expectations. Thus, he reacted with bitterness and anger and directed it towards the gods as a whole. It didn't help that the quest in particular was one that the original Hercules had had to go through during his labors, making it feel like a repeat instead of something original.

With all the knowledge gained, there wasn't actually anything Chion could do or say to completely erase Luke's negative emotions, but he offered what he could.

"Based on what you told me, Hermes most likely wasn't a part of your childhood BECAUSE he knew of your fate." Chion leaned back slightly. "Even with being a god and all, it's likely that even he was a slave to the system and couldn't directly act for fear of throwing things off course. If he hadn't, I'm quite sure he would have told you or played a more important part in your life. I'm not gonna pretend as if I know what's going on in his mind or as if I truly know anything about what you went through. So, let's do this."

Chion calmly walked over and held out a clenched fist, rolling up the sleeve on his hoodie. "Let's make it so even the gods can't ignore us and then FORCE them to answer our questions."

Luke didn't say anything at first, trying to get his own emotions under control. He looked a lot worse off than when he had woken up from his sleep, but the fear and uncertainty had gradually left his gaze the more he got off his chest. With those feelings gone, he looked far more mature than he had previously, almost back to the calm and collected Luke that Chion had become acquainted with. Clearly, the teen would still have to figure things out on his own, but for the time being, Chion reckoned Luke would be just fine.

"The gods are still pieces of shit," Luke said as he pressed his own fist against the youths. "You realize that, right? They'll definitely mess with us somewhere down the line."

"They can do whatever they want. They don't control our lives, even if fate may say otherwise. WE control what we do." Chion moved his hand and walked back towards the steering wheel. "Pieces of shit or not, let's not stoop to their level. If they ever need us for anything, the cards would be in our favor."

"You sure you're only 13?" Luke questioned. "You got a good head on your shoulders."

"I'm genetically gifted sure, but there are still things I can't hope to match. I won't ever be able to match your swordplay in a million years, just to provide one example."

BOOP! BOOP!

The sound of the radar echoing through the room caused the dual demigods to halt their conversation as Chion moved towards the screen. At first, the youth was afraid his mysterious aquatic friend had returned with a newly aquired curiousity, but that was put to bed when glanced over the monitor. Pressing some buttons, Chion lowered the speed of the ship before fiddling with a number of switches and dials. After the long stretch of ocean it took to get there, they had finally arrived at their location, the spinning of Sparrows Compass being all the proof Chion needed as he prepped for them to surface. Luke seemed to understand what was happening and immediately stood up from his spot, dusting his pants off.

"I'll go wake Annabeth," The teen said as he passed by. "Can we keep the conversation between us? Last thing we need is for her to worry."

"What conversation?"

Luke grinned and shook his head as he walked away.

(("We managed to make it to the first part of our journey without any significant damage.")) Chion let out a breath as the SS Overland began its slow but steady ascent, everything distinctly visible through the thick panes of glass. In the distance, the youth could make out a spit of land, the place they were headed to. (("If the Golden Fleece isn't here, then we'll simply readjust our heading. With any luck, we won't have to deal with any monsters on this particular island. Though better to expect the unexpected."))

Letting the Overland do its own thing, the white-haired youth switched over to his grey backpack, which he kept near him almost at all times. Fishing through its contents, he pulled out a customized belt he had had Merrick make for him, someone who had been rather talented with leather and with crafting in general. It looked like a standard belt, except it held six notches in the shape of leather rings, three on differing ends of the belt, placed in a way that put them on either side of Chions hips. These notches were specifically made to hold small flasks of glass, of which contained modified Greek Fire, the youths best friend and loyal companion. These vials were much more potent and lethal compared to the ones Chion had initially obtained.

This was thanks to over two weeks of testing and experimentation, a period where he learned that Ambrosia couldn't grow back eyebrows.

He had also manufactured various pouches that could attach to his pants, allowing him to hold more objects. Ambrosia, which could be shoved into a monsters mouth in large handfuls, disintegrating them. A makeshift blow dart gun and ammunition, darts that had been dipped into poison extracted from giant scorpions. An assortment of other object as well, such as gauze, alcohol pads, and so on, just in case they needed to perform on the spot treatment. It wasn't even counting the plethora of items and equipment he had shoved into his backpack like an storage unit in a video game.

It included but wasn't limited to a large coil of rope, a shovel, boltcutters, a crowbar, a range of tools from wrenches to hammers, a blowtorch, a specially made tear gas, and more. In comparison to when he first started out, Chion was pretty confident on his ability to stay alive this time around.

Honestly, he waiting for a chance to try out his arsenal, though he'd never admit such a thing out loud. Especially the tear gas since he hadn't ran any studies on if it affected monsters.

He was already quite aware it worked on humans, what with him clearing out half the camp when he accidentally dropped it in the middle of the cabins. Not everyone had been too fond of that incident, and he was eventually punished with washing the dishes and cleaning the bathrooms for an entire week.

It was definitely worth it.

Taking the Greek Fire flasks from the bag, he tucked them into their slots just as Annabeth and Luke walked into the cockpit. The blonde girl didn't seem to be too enthusiastic about being awake, but she didn't complain as she let out a sizeable yawn. It had been quite a while since they set out, and it was probably around the dead of night, a time when most of them would've already been asleep. So it was understandable that the two were probably not in the best of shape. Chion himself wasn't tired but everyone was different.

"Oh, good morning." Chion grinned slightly. "Fancy meeting you here in a place such as this. Sleep here often?"

Annabeth scowled. "Shut up, Freezer Burn. Did we make it to the island far at sea?"

"Damn.....Freezer Burn is a good one," Chion admitted, noting that one down as he flicked some switches. "But no need to ask me that. Why don't you see it for yourself."

WHIRRR!! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!!

The same process that took place during its initial transformation happened again, but in reverse. The glass moved into slots in the metal plates and the metal then folded in on itself, returning to their spots on the side of the OverLand. The night sky was slowly revealed to them, a starry expanse that they hadn't been able to fully see back at Camp HalfBlood, mainly due to the excessive light pollution. What was more, it was a full moon, providing more than enough light over the island some ways ahead of them.

Just like that, they had arrived at their destination. C.C's Spa and Resort.