29. Chiron

Stepping through the barrier, Levana found herself in an open field. She could see several buildings in the distance. It was strange to find herself in yet another safe haven for demigods. Yet, this time she was no longer one. She was a full-fledged goddess of a respectable strength.

Levana saw things from a different perspective. She was not the naive demigod she used to be. The "camp" had a long history. Fate's strings were connected to each and every one of the demigods in the camp. The Greek Fate was rather brutal with the half-bloods.

From what Levana could tell, most of the demigods she saw in the camp were fated to die in some brutal way. Mauled by monsters, slain by a friend, wrongfully killed for betrayal, dead from dismemberment, crushed in a trap, etc.

Levana knew that Chiron couldn't see the fates of his students. He smiled as they walked, he watched as the children trained. They were being trained to survive. Yet, by a cruel twist of fate, they would become child soldiers. Used in war by their gods, who do not even have the decency to tell their children that they are their parents.

Absolutely horrified, Levana swore under her breath, as she watched the greek demigods, never to be so terrible as to force her own children to battle for her.

Soon, the centaur and the goddess walked into a building that the centaur had called "the Big house". They walked straight into a room that was shielded in bronze. Celestial bronze is the same material that the demigods used to forge weapons that can harm the supernatural.

Levana examined the bronze around her, noting that the metal wasn't anything extraordinary. It was just regular bronze infused with a tiny bit of some god's divinity. Incomparicent, the stygian iron that her long sword, Baid, was made of, was far more complex. It seemed to have been created through a series of rituals.

She didn't watch but noticed that the centaur had collapsed his body into an enchanted wheelchair of sorts behind his desk. Turning to the centaur who now looked like a regular mortal man sitting in a wheelchair, Levana's eyes began glowing. She quickly anti divination spells and covered the room with them.

Chiron watched a little anxious as the spells visibly floated in the air as strings of glowing words that even he didn't understand as Levana mumbled them quietly. He let out a sigh of relief as the floating words flew up and stuck themselves on the ceiling and onto the walls.

Sure that they had privacy, Levana pulled back one of the chairs available and sat in it. She sat up straight in her chair and conjured armrests to rest her arms on. The chair itself was a simple wooden chair. There was a moment of awkward silence as Levana composed herself and sorted her thoughts.

Taking her silence as permission to speak Chiron started.

" Lady Levana, I was told that you wanted to see me. I understand that Hanok is your teacher but I haven't really met him in centuries." However, as Chiron prepared to continue speaking, Levana raised a hand and gestured for him to stop.

" First of all, it is Queen Levana. I had come here to see how and what you teach your demigods. However, just by walking through this... this camp, I have determined that you teach your demigods how to fight and how to survive. It is admirable that you are doing this without compensation..." Levana trailed off at the end of her sentence as she thought about how she would break the news to the teacher that his students were soldiers in everything but name.

Levana didn't like how the greek gods had tricked the old centaur into raising child soldiers, that was a given. However, it irked her that the demigods weren't even told that they were soldiers. They didn't get the benefits that they should get for being soldiers. Yet, they had to contend with all the danger that it brings to their lives.

She could tell that most of the demigods didn't like training as she had back in the Mansion of Learning. Most of the demigods didn't like fighting as she did. They were oddly normal for children of gods. Hanok had told her that all demigods and supernatural creatures were quirky in some ways. The stronger they were the stranger their personalities.

" Do you know?" Levana said solemnly. This caused Chiron to be confused. So, he stayed silent waiting for Levana to elaborate.

" The children outside this house, all of them, save a few lucky ones, will die a gruesome death." Levana had expected Chiron to be angry, to shout at her or something but instead, the Centaur just closed his eyes and ruffled his own hair.

" I know... It is like a curse that I have had to contend with for a long, long time. Half the demigods die before they reach the age of 25 during quests. The other half become guides, quest givers, or people that other, younger demigods meet on their quests. Those die too... at some point despite my best efforts." The old centaur then let out a sigh. Then, he continued.

" Maybe it is fate that brought you here. Could you... break the curse that plagues us?" Chiron looked hopeful as he stared into Levana's glowing eyes. However, that hope was quickly destroyed as he saw the cold look on Levana's face. Her expression bordered a glower.

" Unfortunately, what you are facing, what the demigods are facing, is not a curse. Curses can be broken over time or by powerful individuals. What the demigods are facing is called fate. To be more precise, the Morai, weave and interpret their fate and their fate is to die.

I'll tell you this, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson, represent a chance to change the greek demigods' fates. Fate loves these two, reality bends over to help them in subtle ways. Convince the two to change how things are currently going and you will succeed in your endeavour to allow your students a proper chance at survival."

Levana liked the two demigods she had met, once again probably because of fate but she put that thought aside. However, her ability to see the future through the strings of fate, an application of her innate ability to casually play with her perception of time, had shown her that their actions were likely to have a large impact on the future.

Chiron looked alarmed due to what Levana had said but she didn't let him speak and continued.

" However, fail to convince them and the Greek Gods and their progeny may not live to see the next century." With that said, Levana stood from the chair and prepared to leave.

She had seen a lot of disturbing things today. Though she initially rejoiced at finding a new application of her "Time Eyes" as she likes to call them in her head, she was quickly building grievances against the ability to see the future.

Levana had seen a great war brewing, one that involved the entire supernatural world and the mortal world. She just wished she hadn't seen those glimpses. As a battle maniac, it mentally hurt her to see that the battle she wished to have with the Greek Gods would not be very exciting.

As for the war? Levana had nothing to lose, why would she be against a war of such epic proportions?

The friends she had made back in the Mansion of Learning should know to stay away from the fights. If they do choose to fight and end up dying? So what? They were all bound to die at some point in her immortal life, she just hoped that she would be there to send them off.

Hanok, who was the only person she truly cared for, would be safe in his pocket dimension. He was a teacher, not a warrior, he wouldn't put himself in harm's way unless truly necessary.

Now, all there was left for Levana to do was to prepare for that inevitable day. The day that the supernatural world is properly revealed to the mortals.

It was time for her to write up some very specific contracts.