Chapter 47: I Told You I Would Find You
Hey guys!
Sorry for the late update. I just noticed that I haven't written an author's note in the last chapter. So here it is.
I am on vacation right now.
I went to New York with my family for the first time so I wasn't able to write chapters as frequently as I used to. Don't worry this story is not dropped or anything. I barely wrote this chapter, in my free time since I wanted to start the new arc and if I didn't write it, I feared I would lose my ideas.
Anyways, there won't be any updates this weekend since I'm still on the trip. I'll be back next week Wednesday.
Enjoy today's chapter and don't forget to leave comments.
Peace!
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"Did you want it here Ms. Pepper?" Isaiah Sharpe, Tony Stark's son and a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, asked.
Floating right beside him was a large Fir Tree that reached around five meters in height and two meters in width.
Standing behind the boy was a red-headed woman wearing a white shirt as well as a black skirt and a pair of dark high-heels. She was swiping through a tablet when she heard the question. She looked up and saw the boy levitating the tree. It's been almost half a year since she met Isaiah and she would never cease to be amazed by the child's abilities as well as his origins.
"That's right, Isaiah. Just put it in the corner of the room." Virginia "Pepper" Potts said as she pointed at the corner of a large room.
The levitating tree moved and flew toward the corner before gently landing on the ground. Right now, the duo was in a large hall, inside the Stark Mansion, preparing for an upcoming Christmas party Tony Stark would host. This party would be hosted not by the father of Isaiah Sharpe, but by the CEO of Stark Industries which means there were a lot of preparations to be done. Initially, Pepper was going to hire workers to prep the Hall, but Isaiah had a better idea.
"I want to help" the boy had said.
Ever since he had arrived in his new home, he had never seen his father interact with his company. Usually, he would see Tony work on something in his workshop or discuss with Pepper upcoming deals and projects, but he had never seen him interact with his employees. He was curious about how his father dealt with others after his arrival and he was also curious about how the company worked.
Even if Tony has changed a lot, his attitude on the outside remained the same. His attitude as a rich arrogant asshole has now become a mask he has to wear every time he goes outside. Even at his meetings at the company. However, before meeting Isaiah, he was indifferent to the company's management and left it to Pepper, now he tried to actively participate in it. Of course, the members of the boards were confused by the change, but couldn't help but accept since he was the CEO and had controlling shares of Stark Industries.
Every year, the billionaire would host a party for Christmas where he would invite many people such as celebrities and businessmen as well as the media alongside. It was a great chance to mingle, form new connections, and get new information. Usually, Tony would host these parties for his pleasure, but now he had to do it for appearance's sake. He still needed to play the rich single inventor with money to splurge or the media would notice something wrong and start snooping around. No amount of excuse would stop them.
But no one said anything about not enjoying it.
And so, while Tony was doing something, Isaiah and Pepper were preparing the hall where the party would be at. Tools and decorations flew around the room as the boy telekinetically manipulated them. What would be the work of ten men was done by a single twelve-year-old child.
Today, it was the 22nd of December of the year 2007. It's been a few months since he and Bianca rescued Nico. After receiving their gifts from their father, they returned to Camp since they still need to prepare for the invasion. Unfortunately, two days after their return, the camp has been invaded. Percy explained to him what happened in the last two days from the fact they had found the lost god Pan and the latter fading away to Kronos now possessing the body of Luke and finally the battle
The last news surprised Isaiah since only a person with a body powerful enough could be possessed by a god without any visible side effects. Luke must've undergone a powerful ritual to allow himself to evoke not just any god, but a titan. The King of titans to boot!
As soon as the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena returned to the Camp, the entrance to the Labyrinth at Zeus's Fist exploded as the army of Kronos invaded. Isaiah thought he would have stalled the army after collapsing the arena on top of them, but it seems like that was simply part of it.
Although, it wasn't like it didn't help. The battle of the Labyrinth was a massive victory for Camp Half-Blood with very minimal losses and no demigod death.
However, Daedalus sacrificed himself to collapse the Labyrinth since it was connected to his life force. He didn't want anyone to take advantage of it and harm Camp Half-blood. Those who were magically sensitive could feel the vibration similar to an earthquake all over America.
'So that's what it was.' Thought the boy when Percy told him about it since he, his teacher and Master Drumm all felt the collapse of the Labyrinth. The boy, however, felt like the demigod didn't tell him everything. It didn't really bother the young pre-teen since It's not like he needed every detail of their quest. He just wanted the general idea.
Since then, the months have passed and life returned to normal. Well... As normal as Isaiah's life can be. There was one important event that passed in the last five months. It was Percy's birthday which was on August 18th. And to be honest, he was stumped on what to gift him when he was invited to the party. So he had to ask his dad.
"Get him one of those videogames consoles. Kids these days love those" the man had nonchalantly said.
The boy took his advice and searched on the internet for a videogame console. He ended up choosing the Playstation 3. When he told Tony what he had chosen, the man didn't even blink twice before having Pepper buy it. He even told her to order three games with it! Isaiah could only smile awkwardly at the man's sense of money.
Needless to say, the Jacksons were very surprised by the gift. Even Paul was there and he was also shocked by the boy's gift. Isaiah also met for the first time Tyson, Percy's half-brother cyclops. When Percy introduced him to Tyson, the latter hugged the sorcerer so hard he had to activate (Reinforcement) just to not have his ribs crushed all the while the cyclops kept repeating "Magical Boy!" He also met Poseidon who simply greeted the young sorcerer. Instead of treating as a sorcerer from another faction, he treated Isaiah as a guest of his son.
Fast forward five-month, it was now the present and Isaiah was helping Pepper prep the hall. His job was simply to move the decorations and objects too heavy to move. For about two and a half hours, that's what he simply did as Virginia guided him.
"Phew! Seems like I'm done." Isaiah let out as he wiped the slight perspiration on his forehead.
He looked around and saw the Hall was fully decorated. There was a bar filled with many types of alcohol ready to be enjoyed by the guests. It was filled with seats and tables, but most of the floor was empty since it was a party to mingle amongst each other.
"What do we have here?" a familiar voice said.
The boy and the woman turned around and saw Tony Stark entering the Hall completely dirty.
"Tony! What are you doing in this outfit!" Pepper exclaimed horrified.
"W-What?"
"What do you mean "What"? You're completely dirty and you also smell of oil! What were you doing?"
Tony looking confused,
"I was working on something, though."
Pepper looked at him indignantly,
"Did you forget you were hosting a party or something!?"
"Well no, but-"
"But no! Go change! We don't have much time before the first workers arrive," Pepper ordered her boss.
Every year she had to deal with the stress of organizing events like this. Tony was not being helpful since he didn't have her management skills.
"Alright. Alright." Tony said as he raised his hand in surrender.
He then walked up to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder,
"*Sigh* Women are complicated creatures, Isaiah. Even your (Intuitive Aptitude) won't help you." the man said with a slight pity.
Isaiah tilted his head in confusion,
"Huh?"
"Just go get changed!" Pepper ordered.
Tony patted his shoulder before walking off. Before he could disappear, Isaiah stopped him.
"Wait, Tony!"
The man stopped and turned around,
"What's up?"
"Can I also attend this party?"
Pepper's head snapped to the boy.
"What?" both adults said.
Isaiah shrugged,
"I've never been to this sort of thing so I kind of wanted to see."
Tony looked at the boy confused,
"Isaiah, I thought you didn't want to expose yourself now though."
"I won't expose myself. Someone else will go in my place." Isaiah said with a grin.
"What are you talking about?"
Isaiah smirked and right before their eyes, white fog gathered around Isaiah. It then enveloped him before dispersing a few seconds later leaving behind the very same boy. However, Tony's and Pepper's reactions turned into surprise.
"What do you think?"
Tony and Pepper blinked in confusion at the unknown before Tony started to snicker,
"Huh? Who do we have here?" said the man as became interested and he walked around the boy.
"Tell me, what do you see, Tony? Describe me" the boy asked.
"I see a man about six feet with tan skin looking around thirty years old. He has slick black hair and brown eyes. He's wearing a navy blue suit which reminds me of Armani. He has a white undershirt and a beige tie. The man also has blue trousers and black shoes." Tony said intrigued.
Isaiah turned to Pepper who looked at the boy stupefied.
"Now, it's your turn, Ms. Pepper. What do you see? Describe my appearance."
"W-Well, I see a white male of around fifty-five to sixty years old. He is bald and has a few wrinkles. He also has a grey goatee and blue eyes. He is wearing a completely black suit with a baby blue undershirt. No tie. He also has black trousers and black shoes." Pepper described.
A moment of silence ensued before Tony smirked.
"You're going to need a crash course in event socializing."
Isaiah let out a matching grin.
"Wait! Time out! Tony, will you let Isaiah attend this party? What if something wrong happens?" Pepper suddenly said looking very concerned.
Tony dismissed her concerns,
"Oh please, Isaiah's got this, Right?"
"Yup!"
"By the way, how did you do it?"
"I used the perception-altering properties of the Mist. Since the mist allows one to see whatever they want according to their belief, I planted a suggestion in your minds and created an illusion over myself."
Tony raised an eyebrow,
"When did you do that?"
"When I told you someone else was going for me. Subconsciously, you started to imagine someone else in my place since I told you I wouldn't be there. I then took advantage of that and manipulated the Mist to create a small bounded field around me that would make anyone see anyone they want. It also works using the principle of blind spots so people would simply gloss over me."
"Bounded field?"
"Another word for a barrier."
"I see." Tony nodded. "Then come with me, I'll tell you what you need to do and what you need to watch out for."
Isaiah nodded and released the spell,
Seeing the father-son duo walk away, she quickly warned them,
"Then there better be no alcohol in your hands Isaiah."
"Yes, Mom." Tony dryly said and they walked away.
Pepper simply smiled and went to receive the workers for tonight's party.
***
A few hours later, it was now 8h00. A few hours have passed and it was finally time to receive the guests. Pepper was at the entrance receiving the guest while Happy was coordinating the other security guards. Isaiah, on the other hand, was hidden backstage until there were enough people to blend in. Soon people began to enter the mansion and into the hall.
The boy was peeking from behind and saw many types of people from old to young, but all of them were famous in their circle. He saw some famous actors attending the party from the few movies he had seen. The boy looked at the scene with wide eyes at how different it was from his life. Tony, who was beside him, in a formal suit, looked at his son amused by the different expressions the boy was exhibiting.
"So what do you think?" the man asked.
The boy looked at the scene in awe before turning to his father,
"It's... different." the boy struggled to answer.
Tony raised an eyebrow,
"How so?"
"I don't know how to say it. All these unknown people coming in here..."
Tony smirked and placed a hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair,
"I heard from your teacher that you never really interacted with people except for the other sorcerers and your friends. To put it bluntly, you basically have no social skills."
"R-Right. So?"
"So you need to prepare to interact with unknown people."
"But I know how to do that though?"
Tony nodded,
"I know. But when I say interact, I meant to really interact. To pick up clues from how they talk, to their gesture and even posture. People may say one thing, but their body says another."
"Do you do that?" Isaiah asked,
Tony's smirk turned arrogant,
"Me? I don't need to. I'm Tony Stark!"
Isaiah simply facepalmed as his father chuckled.
"All jokes aside, there are a lot of people with hidden agendas attending this party. One day, after your reveal, I'm sure people will try to get close to you. You need to learn to distinguish people from snakes."
"Snakes?"
"Another word for people who are ready to backstab you."
"I could just read their mind then."
Tony nodded,
"That's an option. But what if that person has the ability to block mind-reading like this bracelet I'm wearing. What will you do then?"
Isaiah nodded solemnly,
"I see."
Seeing his expression, Tony patted the boy's shoulder,
"You don't need to worry about that right now though. Just explore and no alcohol. Otherwise, Pepper will yell at me."
Suddenly, a woman holding a microphone walked up to the stage and grabbed everyone's attention. Once she did, she began speaking.
[Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the 2007 annual Stark's Christmas Party!]
"She won't know though," Isaiah replied.
"Perhaps, but I don't want my twelve-year-old son to have a taste of alcohol yet."
"Alright, Dad"
Tony froze. Isaiah noticed and looked up at the man,
"What?"
"You called me Dad."
Isaiah looked at him quizzically before his eyebrows rose,
"Well, I figured I should call you dad, right? We've been living together for almost a year now."
Tony stared at him silently before turning away and looking in front,
"What a rascal." the man whispered as he smiled genuinely.
[... I now present you the host of tonight's party, TONY STARK!] the speaker told.
"Well, that's my cue." Tony said as he adjusted his bow tie," Have fun, Isaiah and don't do anything I would do."
"Good luck, Dad."
Tony almost missed a step when he heard his son. He then wore his signature smirk and walked out to the stage as everyone began to clap and cheer for him.
[Thank you! Thank you!]
Soon the crowd calmed down as the older Stark waited for the people to quiet down. Once there was silence, Tony began to speak.
[Thank you for coming everyone...]
Isaiah listened to his father speak. He saw how the man oozed confidence. When the man was finished, the crowd cheered and the party started. Isaiah then snapped his finger and white fog enveloped him before dispersing.
He had now deployed his bounded field. For good measure, he also created one that would cover the whole mansion, overlapping the pre-existing barrier.
Isaiah was now ready and exited through one of the rooms leading to the hall. As soon as he left the room, he was slightly overwhelmed by the number of adults there. He had seen the party in Maine where he met with Di Angelos for the first time. It was nothing like this. Everyone seemed to mature and calm compared to the clowns at the dance. Of course, he shouldn't compare adults with literal children, but Isaiah couldn't help it. There was also the fact, that he was the only kid there.
He walked around as he passed superstars and entrepreneurs. He listened to their conversations without them noticing.
"Ho! Ho! Ho! You see, I struck this deal with Hammer Tech..."
"Did you know Osborn seems to be trying a new project..."
"I heard there was a scandal with that new actress..."
'Seems like the spell is working. No one is paying attention to me.' the boy thought with a smile.
He indulged himself with snacks and some non-alcoholic drinks as he observed the people.
Two hours into the party, Isaiah was trying a delicacy called "Caviar" when he froze. He suddenly felt a massive amount of power unlike he had ever felt. He stood straight and looked around. The power was wafting all over the place so it was hard to pinpoint it. Massive wells of power were nothing new to him. He had felt the power of the Greek gods. But this was different. If Zeus, the King of Gods, was like a nuclear power plant, this well of power was like the sun. However, the energy also felt familiar to him.
The boy looked around and tried to feel the energy. That's when he finally realized why the energy was different. It was energy familiar to him since to his knowledge he was the only one to possess it in this world. It's an energy he uses every day without rest and the energy that he tried to find new ways to use without help. The energy he gained after he had literally died and came back.
"Mana"
"Hello there."
Isaiah snapped his head towards the unexpected voice and found himself face to face in front of a familiar face. He hadn't even detected him!
"I hope you didn't forget me. I told you I would visit you soon didn't I, Isaiah Sharpe?" the voice said with a hint of mirth.
Isaiah smiled,
"Yes. Yes you did, Mr. Zelretch."