The Guardian of Knowledge

Leaving the Third Legion was probably the stupidest thing, Alexus would ever do, he walked into another blizzard and ended up having to journey south which wasn't the best way of navigating.

When he reached Arizona his freezing skin was now shot with the beating heat of the evening sun. He gazed across the state's desert-like landscape as he wondered exactly where would it be. He needed the help of a god, and the only god that he would be capable of speaking to wasn't much. Athena never helped many demigods. They say that after the golden age of Greece, Athena became distant towards the demigods, often being cold and dismissive.

Entering the windy desert atmosphere of Arizona, Alexus noticed the palace of Pandora. It was an old ruin of a temple. Inside the cobbel stones were weary and weak, but somehow the palace managed to maintain itself over the passed millenia.

Glancing around, Alexus smirked examining the layers of craftsmenship. It was poor craftsmenship but still retained value. Walking towards the center of the temple, Alexus found a giant chest filled with an unpresedented aoura. It was divine but filled with truth.

"The Box?" He murmured. In a shimmer of light a being appeared behind him. It was a youthful and graceful face. She had features of a woman well into her twenties but her eyes said something different. Her eyes read his expression as if she'd seen it a thousand times over.

"It's actually known as a Phitos. Pandora's Phitos to be exact." The woman's voice was calm but messmorizing. Glancing back at her, Alexus smiled.

"Athena. It's been sometime since you've revealed yourself. Where have you been hiding?" Alexus questioned. His eyes held a cold yet respectful tone almost like he had awaited the day to show her up, but he also wanted to smack her pretty little genius of a head right off.

"The Gods don't interfer with mortal affrairs even those of divine blood must be left alone. I helped you that one day five years ago, I don't help more than is needed. Even that boy, Dionysus knows better than to help mortals. The only one that helps your kind is Hermes, the poetic freak that he is."

"Intriguing. Can you help me or are you just here to make sure I don't open the Phitos?" Alexus chided. His eyes burned and his fist itching to slaughter the goddess down in the name of Apollo. Athena had stolen Apollo's rightful place as the God of Knowledge and wisdom, that was for certain. Alexus could accept his place in the world, but when it came to his father, he wouldn't let him get cheated out of something that was rightfully his.

"The Phitos is not yours to take. But I am here to guide you. The Oracle is not here. She was but by now she would be off the coast of Portland. Although the Oracle would eventually leave, so your best bet would be to find her through your gifts. Prophecy Influence and Divine Knowledge. Apollo gave you those as a gift, it'd boad you well to use them." Athena grimised. Turning around she held a faint tinge of a smile. "For a demigod, you do hold the respect and manners of a god. You don't show that you respect me, but don't hesitate at the idea of killing me. Interesting way of thinking. Maybe your father was right for giving you Knowledge to gaurd."

"I call myself the Gaurdian of Knowledge, no one else does. It's a title I gave myself, because of the powers I weld. Don't get so personal Athena."

"You remind me of someone, In fact two people. Ares and-" Before she could finish her sentence her aoura flickered and exploded. In a shimmer of light the goddess was now sporting a long white gaund dress. Her eyes were hazel and her hair was tigtened and refined more fashionible. She didn't look quite the same but didn't change much. Her composure was different too. She now wasn't sporting any armor to weight her down but her bronze sword was exchanged for a small dagger.

"You remind me of Mars." She whispered before turning to leave. As she left another explosion of aoura flickered, but this time she was gone. Alexus gazed amazed at the terror that flushed over him as she transformed. Many demigods never held an audience with Minerva and lived to tell about it. But aside from that not many demigods got a chance to met one of the twelve gods of Olympus.

Staggering out of the temple, Alexus gazed at the sky to see nothing but blue sky. The clouds didn't look angry and his fear and yeilded. Now he was back to being the calm and compassionate traveler that he was born to be. Channeling his energy, Alexus closed his eyes and invisioned himself looking down upon Portland. He saw major streets intertwining and city-lights dangling down.

At the harbor, he noticed a cloaked woman. The same woman from before. Focusing in on her, the vision solidified to show it was Diana. She had been the same woman he had met at a Greece colony in West Virginia.

Calming himself down, Alexus's vision rippled and died. Opening his eyes, Alexus found himself surrounded by an army of hellhounds. The spawns of Hades himself. Taking a desolate smile, Alexus pulled out his sword and whipped it our before taking a grip. "I see, so while I was focusing my energy, these buggers found me." He murmured to himself. "Come On! Then! Let me show you what the son of Apollo has to offer!"

Charging in for a strike, Alexus slashed and chopped through the army's front lines. He hacked right through the monsters that most of them just stummbled down on his sword. Dust and Ichor laid waste to the grounds as Alexus just kept moving forward. Waves of monsters reformed as he just kept stepping and weaving his sword right through them. Inchor slattered across his face as he massacred these monsters back to the devil hold that was Hades.

Retreating backwards, Alexus grew excited. His smile turned into a laughter of pure joy. Reaching a suitable distance, Alexus sheathed his sword and forged his bow and arrow. "This is fun, kids but sometimes we gotta get moving." Releasing the arrow it soared through the air as the arrow breezed through the air, it slashed right through the army of hellhounds releaving him of the stressful massacrade.

In an explosion of dust and ichor, the monsters vanished and so did Alexus's bow. "That was a close one, a few more seconds in close range and I could've been done with."

"You think?" A voice called from behind him. Turning around was a braod man with muscular legs and a mischievious smile. He held grogeous blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. His arms were toned and seemed to be tan. Glancing at the man, Alexus sighed disappointed.

"What is this? Some kind of Jack of all trades?" Alexus muttered exhausted. "Am I the little pet that you and your siblings just decide to check up on when I'm busy?"

"Nice way to treat a family member." Hermes teased. "Listen, I can help you. I am the god of Athletisim. I can grant you my blessing to be a better swordsmen. I mean yes you are quite good, but not as good as those who have natural talent."

"You gods are more of a pest that a cocaroach trying to scavange for food." Alexus sighed. "Why would I need you're help. I'm a son of Apollo. If anything I'd pray to my father for help, not a worthless slug like you, Hermes."

"Watch it, kid." Hermes advised. "I may be in a good mood now, but you don't want me to go Roman on you now would you? Athena told me about your fear of our other form. The power of the Romans is remarkable. We could slaughter entire kingdoms with our powers. Imagine having that kind of power up your sleeve. Ha! But alass, it'll never happen at least not for one like you. You are still the same in Greek and Roman. Alexus Erman, Greek. Alexus Erman, Roman. That is because of your father. You see, Apollo believes that he doesn't need to change his name because of . . . oh what was it?"

"Perfection doesn't need improvement." Alexus murmured a bit disgracefully. He didn't like that side of Apollo. To tell the truth, all the gods had an egotistical side when it came to things. Ares's ego side was nicknamed Berserker in modern day terms. Apollo was considered a big ball of fire, not to long ago. Even Athena had a side she wasn't so fond of. It was her Roman side. Minerva. To say much, the Romans never really gave her credit when it came to wars, so she was considered a wisdom goddess. a goddess of crafts and the goddess of defensive warfare. But Hermes had the worst side when he got angery, he was almost as bad as Poseidon, he'd cause trouble for theives, lead travelers down wrong paths and if that wasn't enough never answer prayers. Mercury was one of the most fearsome and ideal gods you never wanted to get on his wrong side.

But Alexus didn't care. He actually wanted to go down a wrong path for once. He was so used to having things easy to him, he had forgotten what difficult actually meant. Glaring at Hermes, he smirked. "So, what brings you here Hermes, did Zeus kick you out of Olympus again?"

"Hav- Ho young one. Hav- Ho!" Hermes laughed. "The God of Olympus is busy to deal with something so insignificent. I'm here to offer guidance, you seek safe travels do you not?"

"No, I seek a challenge and the Oracle of Delphi. If you can bring me to her with a challenge than I will muster the idea of thanking you." Alexus rasped. He knew that he was being rude, but when it came to the gods, you either bullied them or they'd bully you. Many heroes ended up with meaningless tasks just because they honored and placated the gods. Most of the time, Hercules got bullied by his siblings and even his step mother tormented him for eons before letting it go. Although Hercules didn't, he'd repay her every time someone did something in her name, by not letting them pass before him.


"A challenge?!" Hermes boasted. "Verywell, I will cook up something for you. The Oracle, I'm not quite sure where she'll go next, you see I may have learned the gift of Prophecy but I'm not omnipotent enough to use that skill to it's finest, and I'm afraid your father isn't around these days. You're best luck is to travel to the place you are likely to meet her at. But what for do you need her? Diana isn't much of a bride, and she is under oath to your father. I see you better marrying and mating with your neice more like it."

"My Neice?" Alexus wondered. "Who could you possibly be rambling on about now, Hermes?"

Hermes flashed a mischeivious smile. "Valerie, of cousre. But if you find it gross then far see it for me to intervene, besides I've been trying to catch Athena's heart for quite sometime, I mean I'm not succeeding since she still has the oath to keep but eventually, she'll crumble I mean look at me, am I not handsome?"

Glancing at the god, Alexus looked away deciding to ignore the comment. Amazed, Hermes flexed. "Don't answer it, I wouldn't want you to get jealous." He flicked. "Oops, there's my que, It's been a pleasure speaking with you, Child of Apollo. Safe traveles and I wish you the worse fortune in your quest, your welcome!" In a fading of his body, the flickering stopped and Alexus was alone.

Tired of his meetings with the two most annoying gods of Olympus, Alexus decided it was best to leave. Trugging along back to the north, Alexus began to think about his unclarity of his feelings. He did love Diana but he also loved Valerie. And if that wasn't bad enough he felt a ting of awkwardness. What did Hermes mean about Valerie being Alexus's neice. And if were true would he still think of Valerie in the same way, but would it be fair to her?

As he walked up towards the Berkley hills of California, Alexus felt a sudden wave of emotions, he felt like something bad was coming his way. Turning around, he gazedat his old friend from West Virginia, the giant Basalisk he had faught back at the colony.

"Clever Hermes, you think this is enough to defeat me?" Pulling out his bronze sword, Alexus prepared himself. With a seismic roar, the Basalisk attacked.

Notes

NOTES

Hermes and Athena have a slightly on going gag. It seems like Hermes is infactuated with Athena's beauty. This is also seen in the story God of War based on the videogame.

The goddess Athena seems to have a more refined form when she takes on the form of Minerva. It's assumed that this is because of her grace and militaristic personality.

Alexus is still kind, but when it comes to the gods he doesn't hold back on his attitude, this is because most of the times, the gods test demigods and their patience, something that ends up making the demigods very much like slaves of the gods.

I hope you liked it continue reading and enjoy.