Dire Wolf

Chapter 19

"It has been more than a week. Will he ever wake up?"

"Well, the doctors and historian said that his kind's awakening is often explosive, powerful, and downright deadly.

"I have read from ancient scriptures that many demiurges didn't survive their awakenings at all."

"It is a miracle that he is still breathing at all."

"After decimating an entire column of hydras and pulling Surt from sure death, it is no small feat."

"Was it really a miracle that they are both alive, or it's his power over luck working at full capacity."

"Who knows?"

"If it is luck, then I am not quite sure if it's good or bad. Judging by the state of things, it is hard to even tell anymore."

"Both alive, but will it still be called living?"

I heard voices around me, and at first, I thought it was just a dream, but it isn't.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes. It was all a blur, and after a few seconds, I finally began to see things clearly. 

The faces of my concerned and surprised classmates now scrambling to call for medical attention as fast and loud as they can.

"Gods, Keenan! You are awake! Hurry! Call the doctors and nurses!" screamed Sita as Rex and Bliz sprinted towards the door of the room.

I felt the soft hands of Sothea touching my face and hands, "How are you feeling, Keenan? Does it hurt somewhere? Please, tell us so we can help."

"I don't feel anything," I croaked, and when Sita heard my voice, she quickly gave me a glass of water for me to drink with their assistance and began speaking typically again, "I feel so weak, how long have I been here?"

"You are unconscious for more than a week. Your awakening drained most, if not all, of your power and strength. They said that it is a miracle that you are alive at all," Sothea answered calmly and carefully as her words slowly brought back memories of what happened before I lose consciousness.

Our field study, the campfire, the hydras, my wings, the gold sand, and...

"Surt! Where is Surt?! What happened to him? Is he all right?!" I quickly asked while trying to push myself out of the hospital bed I am currently lying in, but the two girls stopped me from even moving at all, "Tell me, did he recover? I did everything that I can to save him. I exchanged my fate so that he may live. Please, tell me that he is okay."

Sita took a deep breath and sighed sadly before nodding, "Yes, Keenan. He is alive and well. The moment you lost consciousness, he gained his. He didn't stay that long in this hospital, and he is currently resting at our dorm while being taken care of by his sister, father, and uncle."

"Compared to you, he recovered rather quickly physically, Keenan. He is fine as he can ever be," Sothea said soothingly that made me heave a sigh of relief as Rex and Bliz returned with two nurses and a doctor who is shocked to see me awake, "He's responding well to stimulus and can speak with no problems. But just to be sure, we would like to ask for a depth check-up, doctor."

A young woman in her early twenties nodded quickly and began taking my pulse, breathing pattern, blood pressure, and all the basic checks before moving on to questions.

"How about your back? Does it hurt still? The wounds from your wings are still fresh. We just pumped you with painkillers. That's why you are not feeling anything at all. But please, don't strain yourself too much."

I nodded and smiled a little, "I will remember that doctor, thank you."

"Well, I can't discharge you today because of your wounds at your back, but if you responded well with the lower dosages of painkillers we would give you later, then I will let you out of the hospital by tomorrow afternoon."

He stood up, and together with her nurses, they waved goodbye at me before leaving my room and closing the door behind them.

Rex and Bliz sat at the foot of my bed and look at me quietly as the girls fluffed my pillow and smooth the comforter to make me feel comfortable as much as possible.

I was about to say something when I saw a beautiful, divine-looking winged woman flying past my window, followed by several others who are all exuding powers beyond the realms of mere mortals.

"Those are not demigods. What happened this past week?" I asked curiously as I took a deep breath, and I felt something different in the air, "The air is loaded with elemental particles. Wait, did the gates finally opened?"

They all looked at each other meaningfully before Bliz began answering my questions, "Yeah, they are not demigods. They are goddesses and gods, Keenan. The Gates of Olympus has finally opened, and the Olympic elemental particles are now widespread on this island and, from what I heard, even in our mainlands."

"But how? Ploutos said someone must wretch it open first, and a beacon must be located before they can manifest their physical forms in our reality," I said quietly before gasping in shock as a familiar boy entered the room carrying a basket full of fresh produce, "You!"

The handsome and godly golden boy using a crutch accepted the help of Rex as he offloads his heavy basket to him and let Sothea and Bliz prepare a seat for him next to my hospital bed before answering simply, "Me."

"If the goddess of luck is my mother, then you are my..."

He grinned at me and chuckled a little, "Beloved only sibling, Keenan. The god of wealth himself is your handsome but lame brother."

"So the gold sand that I summoned was..."

"My own powers I bestowed upon you because one, you are my only sibling, two, you are my champion, and third and last, you are more than capable of manipulating them as everyone has witnessed," he then looked at my friends who nodded quickly in agreement, "But let's get the introductions out of the way, shall we? I am Ploutos, the blind and lame god of wealth. Keenan's brother. On behalf of our mother, I am grateful for everything you have done for him on our stead."

My friends bowed their heads respectfully as my brother touched my hand and squeezed it a little, "You and I are both the firstborn of our mother, Keenan."

"Firstborn? I don't understand what you are saying, Ryk. Clearly, you are her firstborn," I answered in confusion, but he just smiled at me as he shook his head slowly.

"I am her "immortal" firstborn. Well, I am more like a persona of hers given form. For whenever there is good luck, wealth will surely follow," he explained slowly and carefully to make sure I understand what he is trying to say clearly, "You are also her firstborn, in my opinion, her "true" child. A mortal firstborn, a demiurge."

My eyes widened when I heard that word. 

A demiurge...

"A firstborn of an immortal to a mortal man or woman capable of wielding godly powers close to the level of the very gods and goddesses themselves at the expense of their very life force. Not a mortal deity, not a demigod nor a divine, but something different and rare," Sita said quietly as she looked at me in awe and wonder, "You are the firstborn mortal child of the goddess of luck, the fickle mistress of chance and giver of wealth. No other deities are both equally loved and hated than Lady Tyche."

Rex laughed a little and sighed before nodding in agreement, "Good or bad, luck is luck, or so my father always says. To force something to happen will give you a better chance of getting the results you wanted, but force can only get you so far because when it's the goddess of luck who decided to spin her wheel, all are thrown out of balance."

"Such are the powers and reputation of our mother," Ryk agreed as he began peeling an apple for me quite masterfully, "The cornucopia of abundance and nourishment will flow as long as she willed it, or until she gets bored, that is. You all know, the mother is not as static as the other immortal parents. Her personality is not just limited to what she represents. In my opinion, he is just like any normal parent. Sometimes loving and giving, at times, cold and distant depending on her mood."

Sothea sighed and leaned on her boyfriend, "Sounds like a fun mom, Lord Ploutos."

"She is fun. You can never get bored when you are around her. Always expect the unexpected. Very much like gambling, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose when it comes to dealing with her. That's why unless all other options are lost, other gods and goddesses don't want to rely on her too much. They are not as daring, and risk-taker as mortals do. The goddess of luck is really a cruel, capricious, and random woman that even deities are wary of."

However, Bliz seemed to be more curious about my brother instead, "The way you talk, if not for your godly aura, I would've forgotten you are an immortal and not a divine. The way you handle conversation is way, way, better than my mom. When I finally met her a few days ago, we just exchanged few words and proceed to build her new ice castle far up in the skies quietly. I know and feel that she loves me, yet I got this feeling that she is not so used to talking to mortals at all to know what to say."

"My mother is the same. When I finally met her personally and physically, I thought we can finally emotionally connect. But what did I got? A full course of agriculture and produce sciences for the whole day as I toured her to the food baskets of each nation. Like Bliz, I can feel that she cares for me a lot, but a little normal conversation can go a long way when I waited practically my whole life to meet her," Sita said disappointedly as Sothea sighed sadly and nodded as well.

"And here I thought the goddess of safety will be a bit more closer to mere mortals, but, sigh, she just went on and on about the proper way to use my powers for the benefit of others and such. She did tell me that she loves my father and me so much, but it's just once, and that's it. Our whole day of meeting turned to train and practice of sorts."

Rex, however, laughed out exasperatedly as he remembered his own meeting with his mother before pointing at the bandages on his limbs, "I am jealous that you all got to talk about something "at all" with your mothers. Mine just looked at me meaningfully before tackling me with all her might and spending the rest of our day fighting and wrestling each other."

"Not surprising, to say the least. After all, they are not the ones who usually deal with mortals on a personal level unlike our mother and me," Ryk replied as he looked at me fondly, "I have stood as a guardian, even in my primal form, of House Rosenbaum since time immemorial and thanks to that stint, I've got to know and understand mortals better. It also helped that I represent something that most mortals, even if they have forgotten the ancient gods and goddesses, deified."

I let out a chuckle and grinned at him, "Money."

"Well, wealth is money, and money is wealth. They say I make the world go round, Keenan. With mortals thinking of me nonstop in every waking and sleeping moment of their entire lives, I have kept my consciousness mostly intact, unlike other deities."

Sita sighed in disbelief as she looked outside the windows and saw several immortals flying freely in the skies and changing the weather at a whim, "I bet Lady Tyche belonged to that select few of immortals who managed to keep herself awake even in her diminished state, right, Lord Ploutos?"

"But of course. Of all the gods and goddesses who were forgotten, she alone went on to exist in some form as a higher being in the collective consciousness of the mortals forever. Even the Olympians and primordial deities themselves are amazed when they found out that among us all, it is my mother who was never forgotten," the god of wealth said matter-of-factly that made Sothea giggle a little.

"That nasty goddess of chance. Mortals offering their entire existence, even life, to that finicky Lady Luck herself. Calling and invoking her name every time they are about to do something with no assurance. If one is going to the unknown with nothing but his or her belief, best to say your prayers to the one who personifies luck itself, so on and so forth," she finished with a flourish that made my brother chortle that sounded like the clinking of coins.

"I am sure even if mother heard what you say, she will just agree to you wholeheartedly, for it is nothing but the truth entirely," he then looked at me sadly and squeezed my hand a little, "I know you are expecting her to meet you after all these time, but, how should I say this? The chances of meeting her on this island are very slim. So, here I am, my cute little brother. I hope you will find me likable outside of your dreams?"

I blushed a little when he grinned at me before pinching my cheeks a little, "She already acknowledged and gave me the power to make the difference. I think that alone is a show of love in my book, Ryk."

"Why are you calling him, Ryk, Keenan? His nickname or something?" Bliz asked curiously that made the god of wealth nod quickly.

"It is the name that I used when we immortals are fully sealed way back when. House Rosenbaum knows me as Ryk, their guardian, or as one of Keenan's descendant has said, their mascot," he answered jovially that made us all smile while he keeps on peeling all kinds of fruits for my friends while chatting, "If you all want, I can tell you all the story about why the immortals left this world of ours at the height of the Second Golden Age. I may not be the Muses when it comes to storytelling, but as the god of wealth, I am one of the select few deities who represent the zenith of mankind's dreams and ambitions, so I have extensive knowledge as to what really happened back then that was deliberately not written in the ancient scriptures and textbooks."

I blinked at him when he said that as I remembered all the things that Ms. Peregrine taught Surt and me last year, "Even Ms. Peregrine didn't know about the truth?"

"Well, my brother, let's not just talk about that feisty teacher of yours. I'd rather not deal with her and Hebe's as much as possible. They are not the goddesses you want to anger. Anyways, if no one is against it, I will begin my story..."