Monster Ambush (4)

I walked along the coastline, heading towards the direction of the camp. After Eleanor fell asleep, I decided it would be a better idea to get going before any other monster showed up when our guards were down.

I was carrying Eleanor on my back since she hadn't woken up yet. As her body pressed on my back, her head lightly leaned on my shoulder. She was sleeping silently.

I listened to oscillating waves making a white noise, that soothed my mind. With a clear mind, I dwelled into my thoughts once again. Although everything ended up alright, the change in the plot was almost going to result in the death of Adriel.

We weren't supposed to get attacked while returning to the camp by taxi. In the novel, the main cast is ambushed by that boss monster in the streets of New York City, before getting into a taxi. But for some reason, the monster didn't make a move until we put our guard down in the taxi. They purposely waited for us to be defenseless when they attacked.

'However, we did everything identical to the plot in the novel... So the events shouldn't have been built up in such a way that would result in the ambush getting delayed.'

Every variable that could affect the plot was the same; the time, the place, everything. Except one... The characters. The only difference was an additional character, which was me.

'I knew even my sole existence would make a difference but to think that it completely changed the plot... I underestimated my influence...'

It would be fine If I was just an ordinary demigod but I was the son of Hades, one of the Big Three. Compared to other demigods, children of the Big Three possessed great potential, aura, and divine energy. Thus monster could easily detect the presence of a child of the Big Three.

Monsters, although very inferior to humans, possessed a little bit of intelligence. This meant when they sensed a potential threat, they would make use of their intelligence as well as instincts to make decisions.

What I presumed to have happened was that the monsters, detecting three children of the Big Three, concluded that waiting for us to put our guard down was the best choice unlike in the novel, where instead of three, there were only Ariel and Eleanor. So the monsters weren't intimidated enough to change their mind and attack them in the city without any upper hand.

'My plan was to ensure the plot was carrying on as it was supposed to do but it turns out my existence within the plot was the greatest threat to my plan after all.'

*Sigh...*

'I have to do something about this before the plot turns into an utter mess...'

Just then, the head on my shoulders moved slightly, pulling me out of my thoughts. She yawned and rubbed her cheeks on my shoulders. When I peeked at Eleanor, she blinked a couple of times before looking at me blankly. Coming back to her senses, she flinched and straightened abruptly, almost causing me to fall back.

"Will you stay still?"

"W-what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am carrying you."

"I can see that! I am asking why you are carrying me?!"

"You literally fell asleep. What was I supposed to do, leave you there to let the monster eat you?"

"A-Ah..."

Unable to talk back at me, she gave up arguing with me and calmed down.

"Okay. I am awake now! Can you put me down?"

"Are you sure? You have undergone a divine energy exhaustion. I don't think you can even stand straight let alone walk for a while. It's a miracle you can still talk this much..."

"Shut up! Just let me down."

"Sigh... As you wish."

I crouched to let her get down. At first, she was able to stand up easily without a problem. Turning to me, she had a proud expression on her face.

"Hehe... See? I am as good as ever!"

But as soon as she took the first step, her mind spaced out and her eyes darkened. Her body began falling towards me.

"Ahh!"

*Thud*

Her face bumped into my chest as her arms wrapped around me, trying to find something to hold on to. She struggled to find her balance and finally gave up on her idea of walking on her own. As she buried her face into my chest, her ears had reddened. She then whispered in an embarrassed tone.

"Can you carry me..?∼"

*Pfft...*

"W-What!? What are you laughing at?!"

She lifted her head to meet my face which had a subtle smile on. Her face had blushed completely.

"Stop laughing!"

But instead of stopping, my chuckles turned into lighthearted laughs. I kept laughing for a while which only made Eleanor feel more annoyed.

As my laughs ceased, a sense of relief washed over me. It felt like a huge burden on my shoulders had vanished. A burden I had been carrying with me since I was tranmigrated into this world. Since I was thrown into this world, trouble had never left me alone. That built-up stress of trying to survive in such a dangerous world had pushed me to my mental limits. And now, that stress bubble had blown up.

More than that, I don't even remember the last time I had a genuine laugh. I wasn't someone who would have a chance to laugh in my past world either. It really felt refreshing, even if it was for a moment, as the crushing weight of my burdens was swept under the rug.

"Okay... Okay... Get on my back."

I crouched again to let her hop on my back. She wrapped her hands around my neck and made herself comfortable while I held her up by her legs. I stood up and we continued towards the camp along the coastline, with the scenery of a colorful sky and the sun settling down on the horizon.

Soon, the rest of the main cast appeared in the distance running towards us. Adriel was taking the lead and behind him were Amelia, Nadia, and some other extras.

"They are alive!"

"Thank God!"

They approached us and asked us many questions about whether we killed the monster, how we won, and so on. Finally, Adriel gave us a weird look as he asked why I was carrying Eleanor on my back.

"Well... to tell you the truth, I can't take a step without falling because of divine energy exhaustion."

"Ohh... So that's the case. Blake, if you are tired, do you want us to help you?"

As if reading my mind, Adriel offered me a helping hand. But before I could ask for help, Eleanor interrupted me.

"Yeah, that wou-"

"It's alright Adriel, you don't need to. It's fine for now."

'Really? The question wasn't even directed to you...'

"Yeah, sure if that's what you want..."

We got into a defensive group formation for any other potential monster ambush but fortunately, we weren't disturbed on our way to the camp and safely arrived. When we entered the safety of the borders, the dinner around the campfire had already started.

The group split up as I and Elanor went to our cabins to rest while others went to the campfire for dinner. Adriel told us he would report what happened to us to Chiron instead of us. Now that we were in camp, the first quest was completed and Nadia was brought to camp successfully.

The sun had disappeared and the moon had risen into the sky by now. I stopped in my tracks as we were finally in front of our cabins.

"Will you be able to go in by yourself?"

"Mmm... I don't think so."

"Okay then."

I walked up to the entrance of Poseidon's cabin and opened it with Eleanor's keys. As the door opened, a breeze brushed past us and the pleasant smell of the ocean filled my nostrils. The interior was very similar to my cabin but it looked much fresher and bright.

I used the stairs to the second floor. Eleanor pointed to one of the bedrooms on the second floor. When I entered the room, a clean and tidy bedroom greeted me. Surprisingly, Eleanor didn't seem to find it uncomfortable for me to enter her bedroom. 

I dropped her onto her bed gently. While she was trying to make herself comfortable in her bed, I glanced around the room. As my eyes wandered around the room, a framed photograph on the bedside desk drew my attention. It portrayed a middle-aged woman with black hair and brown eyes. Her facial structures had a striking resemblance to Eleanor.

"She is my mother."

Eleanor told me. I tried to look surprised although I already knew who she was. Eleanor's mother was one of few mortals who could see through the Mist without any setbacks. That was one of the reasons why Poseidon had fallen in love with this woman.

"I wonder how she is doing..."

Elanor said with a trembling voice as she stared at the photo. The pain in her voice was something I could relate to. I knew exactly what the pain of losing your parents felt like. Although her mother was still alive, this didn't change the fact that Eleanor had been away from her mother for over a month.

"I am sure she is fine. Anyway, I am leaving now. Have a good night."

I waved at her and prepared to leave.

"Blake."

But when I was at the doorframe, I heard her voice and turned back. With her blanket pulled up to her nose, leaving only her green-blue eyes out, she talked to me.

"Thank you for taking care of me today..."

"No problem."

With that last exchange, I was finally free. My mind was a mess after all the things that happened today so I just went to my own cabin and fainted on the couch.