Chapter 6

The end of our so-called date wasn't anything special really, Arianna hugged me and inhaled on my chest a little too hard to be comfortable... But beyond that, I escaped any further molestation that I would have welcomed in fact, embraced wholeheartedly really!

I mean a clearly somewhat insane, super hot goth/emo librarian woman throwing herself at you because of how she was a lonely Christmas Cake of a woman, out to learn all your secrets was just. Perfect.

Either way with that little episode dealt I used some of my Continental coins to get some combat-quality dress clothes so when I met up with my teacher in the future I wasn't going to be in my typical leather jacket and blue jeans I had been wearing for their comfort and decent protection from supernatural bullshit. Once I was done getting magically fitted and clothes made quickly that fit me, I decided to go to the town and see if I could find some trouble.

"Now if I was a street rat demi-god hiding from monsters in the city of NYC where would I go." I muttered as I pondered on this very question as I biked through the busy streets of the city while keeping half an eye on the mini-map to look for monsters, demi-gods, or anything supernatural really.

But when I finally got a ping on my map, and went to go look at what it was. I could only deadpan at my luck. [Radioactive, magical, divine touched rat. Lvl 30] A rat the size of a large house cat was arrogantly eating a slice of NYC pizza while making eye contact with me and then with an arrogant squeak, it snorted and turned around to face its butt at me while it loudly ate its food with a relish only a snob could have that was displaying what it considered delicious food that it was eating and had no intent to share.

For a second I considered taking out a gun and shooting the mutated rat as it didn't seem to have the wisdom and maturity of Splinter. But I was a human and I was above this shitty rat, I didn't need to lower myself to its level...

So ever so calmly, I walked back out of the alleyway before pausing. And then with one swift motion I pulled out the paintball gun I stole but never used due to it not causing supernatural creatures any harm, And with a loud popping noise I used my fingers to swiftly pull the large trigger for the paintball gun to shoot a hail of little paint pellets into the proudly displayed ass of the rat making it screech in surprise and whirl around as I held up a set of middle fingers and also sticking my tongue out at it, as I walked around the corner and fully left the alley back into the busy streets.

Even though that ping was a bust, just that light-hearted episode did loads for my morale as all my other supernatural encounters were rather tense in all honesty. With only my encounters with Arianna and Chiron being ones in which I didn't end up killing whatever I got tangled up in.

After a moment of thought, I sighed and decided to try my luck around Manhatten and more particularly around the Queenboro Bridge. As I recalled that Percy Jackson himself lived around there. Though if I did find him, maybe I shouldn't just take him to Half-Blood Camp as that would just bring more danger to him, as I had no idea where I was in terms of Percy Jackson's timeline of events.

But as I was heading towards the Queenboro Bridge, I paused as a trio of pings went came to life on my minimap, and looking over in their direction I saw it lead to an underpass, and beneath it was a large collection of bright tents which was obviously a homeless congregation. "Well... I gotta try." I muttered with a sigh as I mentally swore that if I saw something like a magical porcupine with used hypodermic needles as its shield of needles I was going to run away screaming.

The small tent city of homeless people was obviously mostly populated by men, and although some were, the very depictions of disgusting, with nasty filthy clothes and dirt caked across their unkept flesh. But many of the homeless people looked to be mostly just wearing dirty clothes as New York had a number of shelters the homeless people could get a shower within. If they just cared enough to.

I walked at a brisk pace to look as though I had a purpose here or just moving through as I walked through the dozens if not hundreds of tents that made up the congregation of homeless people. Wordlessly I passed by people who had fallen on hard times. were mentally ill, or had just given up on life, as each Observe I sent at them painted them as drug addicts, criminals on the run, whore, or just titles that gave hints to how broken they were.

But finally, I reached my target within a large tent with a mesh roof for air to come through I was able to see the shaded shapes of my three targets and apparently that was enough for Observer to get information on. [Alva, Son of Amphitrite Lvl 29.] Seeing the name I froze as I recognized the name of Amphitrite... The goddess wife of Poseidon. Oh dear gods this was going to be interesting.

So I tapped the side of the tent to get their attention and I heard one of the curse under their breath as the door and zipper were violently pulled down and a kinda dirty very young dark skinned feminine face looked up at me with fear before her eyes tightened and she asked brusquely. "What the hell you want?" She demanded and with a quick observation, I learned her name though I had no idea who the god Geras was. [Sarah, Daughter of Geras]

I paused for a second and seeing her face become more hostile I decided to be open. "I know you three have powers and have seen beings that would drive others mad if they could see them at all... I am here to help guide you guys to a place where you guys can be safe and learn how to control your powers." I said trying to be charismatic.

But it seemed I failed horribly as the girl just snorted with derision but as she spoke I realized it wasn't nearly as simple as she not believing me... No there were bigger issues afoot. "Camp Halfblood?" She sneered before snorting. "Yeah fuck you and no thanks... We are the demi-gods of lesser gods that the great Olympians couldn't give a shit about less of." She said reminding me how all the demi-god children of the minor gods and goddesses were lumped into the Hermes Cabin.

Which was not at all suited to caring for the children of the hundreds of lesser gods and their countless children in the Greek Pantheon.

I looked around and said dryly. "And being in the middle of a hobo camp is safe?" I asked and she grimaced but nodded.

"Yes, the mortal's filth and sheer hopeless apathy drives away monsters... Well, the more spiritual Greek monsters anyway, if a supernatural vampire comes in we will be a more obvious target but that's just everywhere, besides those arrogant assholes won't wallow in this area anyway." She finished before coughing and taking back on her hostile expression. "We three already got to Camp Halfblood before, and once we learned our gifts we got the hell out of there as they treat us children of the lesser gods as literally less than trash as they cannot even be bothered to use our parent's symbols for our shrouds should we die on one of their quests or in their war games in the forest." She spat before a tired voice from inside the tent cut her off from continuing.

"Look, we can tell you aren't a Satyr or whatever trying to recruit us. but please just leave. We are content making our own destinies and don't want to be thought less of, in the camp." The male voice said and... He was right, sure being a hobo wasn't great, but it was their choice. With their divine skills and abilities combined with some training, they could use the Mist or whatever magic to weave illusions to get a better life but they hadn't.

They didn't want to. And from both Chiron and Arianna herself, my quest's to bring in Demi-Gods only rewarded me for children born of the Olympian's loins and seed. I gained nothing from helping these kids that did not want my help at all. So with a sigh, I raised my hands in surrender.

"Alright, I am gone, don't worry about me," I said taking steps back while a thought came to mind. During the Titan rebellion would these kids fight with the Titans and monsters after their years of being ignored and abused by the Olympians?

And so I left the hobo-filled underpass dodging any of the homeless people that approached for a handout as I power walked out and once I stood back on the main road with the little tent city out of sight I sighed as today has been just a major damned bust.

"Do I scope out the nearby schools to check for kids?" I pondered before sighing and shrugging... Going to infiltrate another school made me feel like the worst kind of creeper.

But then I had an idea. I walked down past the Queensbroro bridge and with the rushing water below in the East River there was weak mist and quickly climbing down and out of the way so I would out of sight a bit I walked over to a particularly dense constantly spraying mist from the water dashing over parts of the bridge. And once I reached it I tossed a Greek Drachma through the mist with the Drachma disappearing.

"Oh goddess Iris please connect me to Chiron of Camp Halfblood," I said in a sort of prayer and the misting pray with a faint rainbow turned brighter as the goddess of rainbows, apparently had accepted my call as the rainbow eventually peeled away to show a live feed of distorted light of Chiron who was apparently relaxing on a porch swing and reading something.

But the opening of the rainbow had obviously gotten his attention as he put his book aside and his eyebrow raised seeing it was me calling. "Mundane humans are typically nowhere near brave enough to directly call me." He mused before smiling lightly and began speaking again more seriously. "Anyway, Jake Bariss. How may I help you?" He asked and instantly my mind went to wondering how he got my full name somehow as I only gave my first name when I escorted that child of Athena to the camp.

But I pushed that thought down as... I had no doubt Athena probably did a cursory looking into me for bringing that daughter of hers into the camp.

I stood up straighter and then spoke out my idea or thought. "I had that mission and bounty to help escort children back to the camp. So I was wondering if there were any children that you knew of, that were in a hotspot that their satyr escort couldn't extract them from or something?"

Chiron who had his hands wrapped together on his lap had a hand come to rest on his chin as he clearly thought of my question. Then he answered but slowly and almost unsurely. "That's a difficult question as in fact, it's normally very unlikely for half-bloods to reside within the confines of NYC if that's where you are based... As the Olympian and other deities' tastes lead them across the US and even the world itself with them leaving their seeds scattered across the world." At my downfallen look, Chiron coughed and continued.

"Though... The gods and goddesses do in fact prefer certain area's like how Athena coincidentally has her children spread across the cities in which major ivy league colleges reside, or likewise in major areas of innovation like silicon valley in California and such." Chiron explained before his face twitched as he took a breath.

"In that same vein, the god Ares has a habit of leaving his spawn in war-torn area's filled with strife. Of which, the satyrs within Chicago and Detroit have called upon aid in leading the kids back here to NYC so they may make the journey to the Camp as the Olmpyians refuse to allow people to directly teleport the children to camp." He said with a shrug and with that news and explanation my face twitched as Chiron waved his hand and the rainbow was fucking cut off leaving the call dead.

"That horse-cocked asshole just hung up on me?!" I started and half cried out in disbelief at how fucking rude that was...

But with that said I mentally reviewed what he said and realized that he was very bluntly giving me hints as to where I could go to find these lost children of the Olympian gods without actually telling me exactly where I was wanted to go. Nor did he directly offer or give me a mission beyond giving me the precise location of Detroit and Chicago apparently had a number of Ares and probably other god's kids as well.

As I made all those mental connections even my system agreed as a mental ping rang out with a small text box appearing in my eyes as I received a new quest.

[Lost Children of the Corn] [Within the urban combat jungle of Detroit and Chicago, an enclave of demi-gods are surviving the predations of the many monsters that live within the cities.- Kill the monsters hunting the children, and either escort them to Camp Half-Blood or help them defend themselves against the waves of monsters that seek to devour them until the monsters either give up and move on from the cities or move them to Camp Half-Blood with rewards depending on actions taken.]

[Warning, fighting with demi-gods some from foreign pantheons against hordes of monsters will acquire much divine interest from the Demi-God's parents and gods connected to the events that happen during the battle... For good or ill you will have the divines gaze upon you during the quest.]

I exhaled wryly as I took in the mission and noticed how it wasn't time-limited or anything unlike my mission to go on that quest with the Yuki-Onna to deal with the Gumiho realm that was both overpopulated and becoming too powerful. "Far smarter to deal with the Gumiho first rather than getting under a microscope by a lot of gods," I muttered while wondering how Amaterasu was feeling about the purge of the Yuki-Onna... And whether she would be pissed at everyone involved in the quest that was sanctioned by the whole of the Shinto Pantheon.

I looked at my phone and groaned as I realized that all the crap I did today had only taken three hours... "Fuck it, I got a mobile DVD player screen combo, I will just watch movies for the next couple of days between practicing my magic and reading that tome," I muttered as I left the underbridge to do just that.

-

I picked up some more skills in the following half week like some very low-level Golem creations that I could use magical materials in their creation to power them. And by low-level Golem creation, I meant more like static defenses or machines that weren't intelligent nearly enough to walk around and make out their surroundings to follow their objectives.

What I did create was basically a turret that would operate an automatic crossbow that would sweep around my sleeping area and shoot anything that was currently in motion beside myself. And magically programming my own magical signature into the turret was the hardest bit by far which just showed how terrible my golem crafting skill was.

But the tome for the Golden Order book was almost purely about magic, and thus for my martial arts, focused jobs, and being... apparently magically retarded in all senses of the word according to the magical tome, I was fucked when it came to doing anything more magically intensive then lighting a fucking candle.

Literally, my Emperor Skill was such a fucking bitch and right now I completely hated it... I could shoot three dozen jumbo-sized arrows longer than a javelin and as thick as a telephone pole that would explode like a stick of dynamite before running low on mana. But the moment I create a finger of flame that I could use a lighter for instead. I couldn't even maintain that finger of flame for more than three minutes before running dry on mana.

So Arianna's tome although a treasure trove of magical information in the future was kinda lacking right now except for the primer the book had within about lesser Norse runes that students could play around with. And be expected not to open portals to eldritch dimensions filled with insanity, too many eyes, tentacles, and of course teeth. Thus with the primer on lesser runes that were moderately safe, I also began practicing that...

By doing the efficient and safe method of using runes which were apparently using the cotton string to either form the runes on a plate to practice the shape, and later on practicing stitching the runic magical words into patches, I could then easily stitch onto my jacket.

A day before I was slated into going on that adventure to the Gumiho realm I was working on a high school/college letterman jacket with a large felt back so patches could easily be placed on it and I realized something terrible.

"I have spent like the last three days with a fucking sowing needle in hand with an enchanted plate mail thimble for my fingers so I couldn't stab myself anymore... I am literally the worst Gamer murderhobo in the omniverse." I cried out having a slight mental breakdown at the crap I had to deal with to get stronger without being able to throw massive spells at my foes like other gamers were able to.

There was nothing 'cool' about stitching my own enchanted clothes in comparison to enchanting some hand-forged metal armor made in the fires of purgatory and quenched in a block of ice that's remained frozen for some ten thousand years long. But seeing my jacket with only three runic patches sowed onto it, it was all worth it honestly.

[Beginner's Runic Jacket] [Three runic sequences have been properly interwoven into the jacket and will be fueled and powered by the world's ambient mana. The runes currently inscribed into the jacket will heighten the user's natural strength, durability, and speed by twenty percent.]

This little week of training and remaking my gear was well spent honestly. And now it was time for me to go back to the Continental and go meet my archery teacher on that mission.

-

Coming into the Continental I blinked as I saw Charon working at the front desk which was fairly surprising as he typically did higher-end management things, primarily making sure agents were doing their jobs for the most part while also doing recruiting like with what he did with me. "Charon." I greeted him with a respectful nod and he blinked and smiled naturally as he responded clearly and genially.

"Hello, Mr. Barriss, Lady Arianna has already sent a message for me to send you on your way to her... I wish you the best of luck and a fruitful hunt young man." Charon explained while handing me a keycard with the room number and floor clearly inscribed upon the metal plaque that I could sense a good bit of magic coming off of.

I took the metal card with both hands and then I looked back up to Charon and responded. "Thank you for the heads and for saving me time trying to hunt her down in the huge library," I said with gratitude in my voice, he only smiled genially before he looked behind me as I sensed the footsteps of someone else behind me obviously wanting to get his attention I made my way to one of the dozen elevators to take a ride to the floor that was on the card.

I knocked on the door to Arianna's supposed room, and within half a minute she opened up the door and I saw she was wearing her typical tight-fitting gothic dress that clung to her lovely frame. And seeing me, her eyes lit up before a small mischievous smile came across her face as she giggled. "Oh Jake, come on in, your teacher is here... And don't fall in love too soon!" She teased as I heard a feminine snort of derision come from behind her as though in complete denial of that happening.

"I will do my best." I said dryly with a wry smile. And with that, Arianna moved out of the way to let me into the apartment and as I came into the living room and saw my teacher for the foreseeable future I blinked and stared for a whole silent five seconds before I flatly looked back to Arianna and said direly. "I already fell in love I am sorry!" I said dramatically and Arianna's face twitched violently at how actually distraught I looked for a second before I broke into giggles and made her roll her eyes with her stomping past me to go sit by her friend.

My teacher fit the stereo-depiction of a Yuki-Onna or snow woman to a T. She had the fairest of pale skin I had seen in my life honestly, with her silver and blue-tinged hair matching her light blue eyes. To say nothing of she had the figure of a woman out of legends with her ample hips and breasts that stretched out her unfortunate lady's office wear she was wearing.

I sat down across from my teacher and then we obviously had to share more personal information that Arianna had obviously dripped fed between us but hiding the more important information on our opposites. "Hello, my name is Jake Barris." I said bowing my head slightly to her and she likewise met my motion but she went even further as when she bowed her head she held out a business card of it held in both of her hands so I respectfully took the business card with both hands to show my respect before my face twitched as I looked at the material in which the card was made out of.

[Never Melt Ice] [Ice that has remained naturally frozen for more than ten thousand years, despite the sun's rays touching it at least once a century. Once ten thousand years pass, the ice turns dark blue like this and is conceptually incapable of being unfrozen except by divine flames.] [Holding, Never Melt Ice against the bare body will slowly increase the holder's ice affinity and resistance.]

Her voice was... Soft honestly, like snow trailing across blowing across the ground it carried through the air without being a weight to my ears rather than Arianna's passionate and often inquisitive voice she typically spoke in when she wasn't trying to hard to tease me. "My name is Yuki Mafyuu... I am a Yuki-Onna and my friend has asked me to train you in the art of archery in order to repay a great favor I owe her."

Yuki gently folded her hands in front of her stomach as she spoke directly to me seriously. "Jake, I will teach you all of what I can, As Arianna is owed a life's debt that I am unable to truly repay, to restore my honor."

I could all but imagine some grand tale of Arianna being in Japan and saving this Yuki-Onna and earning her lifetime of gratitude but... Instead of that being the case, Arianna just snorted and threw a look filled with some of the kind of teasing amusement that filled her grey eyes as she looked towards the snowwoman.

"Oh... I definitely saved you." She hissed dangerously before looking at me with that same dangerous smile as she continued. "Jake, would you like to hear the tale of Yuki the unwise?" She started and I couldn't help but snort as Yukino literally grabbed a pillow from the couch and tried to smother her friend but when that failed due to a magical shield sparking to life around the fallen angel hybrid she merely screamed into the large cushion as she folded it around her face and ears to drown out the sound of Ariana's voice.

"They don't tell this tale around other adventurers and mercenaries... It is a tale they wouldn't know... As it's a legend of a hentai Christmas cake snowwoman getting in over her head." Arianna started before she started speaking in a storytelling tone while Yuki had at this point gone catatonic out of humiliation over what was coming. "This woman was so desperate, that she became the perfect housewife. She was and still is literally the definition of a man's preferred wife but with no man, could she find within the hunting circles of mercenaries that she liked, she began dating online... But her perfect mannerisms, her perfect beauty and grace... It was too much for any mundane man to handle." She spoke as Yuki just laid there on the couch like a salted fish staring blankly at the ceiling.

"You see Jake... Her power was so great at being the perfect housewife naturally that no mundane human man could withstand her demure aura of perfection as they would always feel unworthy. so for more than ten years, this Christmas cake has been hunting for a husband as she is the only Snowwoman in her entire tribe past the age of twenty without a husband Haha!" Arianna cackled hysterically while my face twitched at that horrible story.

Yuki looked up at me with dull eyes. The eyes of a woman who put her heart into the world, only for it to be stomped on in turn by weak-willed men who couldn't handle the idea of a woman who could apparently cook and clean while still working a higher-paying job and then 'allow' them to take her out on dates and such.

I reached over and patted Yuki on the shoulder as I spoke consolingly. "Its alright Yuki... There is as they plenty of fish in the sea."

"Then why can I not catch a fish that doesn't get a nosebleed and fall unconscious when I pop open my blouse when I get too hot after drinking..." She said drily as she looked up at me with the eyes of a broken woman who had been abandoned on the steps of a church with a newborn and Arianna coughed while speaking wryly.

"Her mother and the other members of her tribe bully her quite a lot about the subject Jake... Anyway!" Arianna said excitedly as she clapped her hands. "Now, that introductions are out of the way, and you cannot play the typical ice-cold woman to act mysterious, I can entrust Jake into your hands Yuki." Arianna spoke before her voice tightened as she looked between me and Yuki. "Now, my old friend... This young man is a heartbreaker. Don't let him seduce your sister's nieces and aunts lest he end up marrying half your tribe!" Arianna almost yelled while I gaped at her for her nonsense.

But even Yuki just rolled her eyes while I retorted. "Just because I am the only non-virgin in the room doesn't mean, I am a heart breaker... Anyway, Yuki I look forward to your guidance as both a warrior and the art of archery." I said trying to be somewhat respectful and Yuki definitely found that return to normalcy far more comfortable than Arianna who was about to say something but before she could Yuki elegantly got up from the couch she was sitting on with myself also standing up to meet her in the motion.

Yuki looked down at the thin small watch on her wrist and she spoke softly with a small smile. "Arianna, despite how you drive me to madness, it was nice to see you again... As you know the tribe is still your home away from all this nonsense if you wish to settle down. But we must be going if we are to be ready for the cross-realm trip to the Gumiho realm over in Japan." She finished and then I felt Yuki finally unleash her magical might and as I thought, it had a bite of frigid chill to it which made perfect sense with her being a snowwoman.