[DanMachi/Percy Jackson] Prytaneum

Chapter 10: Torchlight part 2

"Percy, what's this?" Hestia asked the next morning, handling the sack I'd left on the table. Between not having a watch and not being able to see the sky, I'd lost track of time in the Dungeon the day before and what I'd intended to be twelve hours had been more like fifteen or so—it had been nearly midnight by the time I'd decided to leave and I'd found Hestia asleep on the couch when I'd gotten back. From all the nights when I'd kept my mother up, I knew that she'd been waiting for me to come home, and that knowledge hurt as much as it usually did. So as to not wake her, though, I'd just picked her up as gently as I could and carried her to the bed, before claiming the couch for myself.

I hadn't slept much. Honestly, even if it would have worried Hestia even more, I kind of wished I'd stayed out longer and gone deeper into the Dungeon. Part of that was my just impatience and the fear that my friends were waiting for me or needed my help—but the main reason was more selfish. Even after a long day of fighting monsters, I wasn't tired enough to simply collapse once I got home, whether because of the cheap couch, the lack of blood loss, or the absence of the water that had assisted me when I slept in the Dungeon. I hadn't slept much the night before either and only in spurts; partially because I just hadn't felt tired and mostly because I just didn't want to. I didn't want to sleep, even though I knew I needed to, mentally.

But I couldn't help it.

Truth be told, it wasn't the nightmares I was afraid of. Those were bad, sure, but I'd been dealing with them since forever, upgrading them regularly as I ran into living nightmares. I was used to it, frankly; to having the things I tried not to think about during the day wake me up at night. Where did all the bones in that cyclopes lair come from? What happened to that kid I saw get dragged off by hellhounds? There were plenty of gaps my brain was happy to fill with depressing imagery and plenty of close calls and worst case scenarios to imagine. Dreams like that suck, but they're a part of life. A sucky part of life, but still. You wake up shaking and thinking about the monsters under your bed, but then you remember what you did to those damn freeloaders and it helps you get back to sleep. Whatever anyone said, dreams could hurt you, but that didn't mean they could beat you.

I was more afraid of reality—because I was a demigod and when I went to sleep, it wasn't just the twisted fantasies my subconscious coughed up that I could see. When I dreamt, I could see visions of the past and present, of things that had happened or would happen that were somehow related to me. When Luke had trapped Annabeth underneath the weight of the sky, I'd watched her suffer. I've seen people I know when they were in danger, watched events that occurred long ago that were related to the present, usually some death or betrayal or whatever else. Aside from exploring the Dungeon floor by floor by floor, a process that could take who knows how long, my dreams were the best way of finding out what happened.

But I wasn't sure I'd like what I saw. I could say my dreams were unreliable, sure, that I didn't have much control of them, but that wasn't the reason I was worried—no, my dreams usually came through for me in the end, if not exactly the way I might want. But I wasn't blind or stupid. I knew the odds and risks, even if someone else had awoken in the Dungeon like I had. Without Mrs. O'Leary or some other way out, with no clue what was going on, odds were good that if I dreamt of someone waking up, past or present, I'd just be forced to watch them die.

And even if some of them survived, there was no guarantee it'd be the people I really wanted to see. As the one responsible for leading the camp, I would be happy if anyone survived—but I wasn't good enough at lying to myself to truly say there weren't some people I really wanted to see. And, unfortunately, calling any of them long-shots would be putting things nicely.

It was selfish, but more than a confirmation that they were alive, I just needed to hold onto the hope that it wasn't impossible for them to be alive. That didn't make much sense and it was cowardly and it made me feel worse than waking up with maybe four hours of sleep and I knew it was irrational, but there you go. Maybe I was only here because of Hestia's power or Elpis or something Kronos had done—but there was no way of knowing that for sure. No conclusive proof that I was the only one who made it, however horrible the odds. And as long as there was still hope, a place I could search, something I could seek and strive for, then it wasn't over. Not really. Not until I'd done all I could.

And if that didn't work out, if there was truly nothing I could do, if everyone had placed their hopes on me to figure out the Prophecy and I'd botched it up, I...I don't know what I'd do. What I should do or would do or where I'd go from there. So as much as I wanted to know, as much as I knew I couldn't rest until I'd explored every possibility, I didn't want to know, because it might mean there was nothing I could do.

At least here there was something I could accomplish, even if it was just helping a friend.

"It's the money I made in the Dungeon," I replied, careful not to let the fact that I hadn't slept much show. As a demigod, I could go longer than most without rest and between the few hours I'd gotten and the water I'd let pour over me in the shower, I felt more or less refreshed, even if I knew I couldn't continue on this way. Being tired meant making more mistakes which could get me killed. If it was only this much, I'd be fine as long as I had Mrs. O'Leary, but I had to sleep normally. If only it were so simple. "Is it enough? I'll be going back later today to get more, so even if it's not, I'll think of something."

"No," Hestia replied, shaking her head quickly. "It's wonderful. It's just...how? There's so much—there must be over twenty thousand valis here! How far into the Dungeon did you go?"

The question was as worried as it was amazed, but I just shrugged.

"I wanted to explore the Dungeon a bit, so I went through the top five floors to see what was there," I said.

"The top five floors," Hestia repeated before shaking her head quickly. "After what you told me, I figured you'd be okay, but...did anything happen? Did the Dungeon...?"

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't like me," I replied. "I got swarmed with monsters a lot. Nothing I couldn't handle, but it definitely seems like it's out to get me. I guess it doesn't like the smell of demigod."

Hestia was silent for a moment, face growing more and more worried.

"It's definitely possible," She said. "Gods aren't allowed to enter the Dungeon, for our own safety. Since you're half-god...no, since I first saw the skills on your back, I thought the Dungeon might be a dangerous place for you."

"Mm," I hummed with a nod, leaning my head against the back of the couch. "But I'm used to it. My life's always been dangerous."

"Percy..."

"I'll be okay," I said when I heard the concern in her voice. "I promise. I'm good at getting into trouble, but I'm pretty good at getting out of it as well."

At that, she was silent for a moment.

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking at me quietly. "There are...you don't have to be an adventurer. Many Familia pursue different routes and we could, too."

That surprised me a bit.

"Other paths?" I wondered. "Like what?"

"Anything," She replied, shaking her head. "My friend Hepheastos runs a Familia of smiths. Miach runs a pharmacy. Demeter's Familia farms at the edge of the city, I think—it all depends on what the god and their Familia choose to do. I'm...I'm not very skilled at...anything, but I could learn! We could learn! You don't have to risk your life doing something so dangerous."

This time it was my turn to be quiet—but then I looked her in the eyes and smiled as gently and reassuringly as I could.

"I'm sorry, Lady Hestia," I said. "But...there are things I'm looking for that I'll probably only ever find in the Dungeon. And also, you shouldn't talk that way about yourself, because I'm the one who's hopeless; you should see my record with schools. Fighting monsters and doing stuff like this is the only thing I've ever really been good at. I wouldn't know who I was if I left it all behind."

"What are you looking for?" She asked me, watching me with such worried, knowing eyes that I thought for a moment that she could see right through me.

My friends, I almost answered before pausing, remembering my earlier thoughts. Considering it for a moment, I thought about changing my answer to 'Hope,' giving a true but useless answer. But in the end...

"I'm just trying to find some of the things I've lost, I guess," I murmured uncertainly, before shaking my head and bringing my smile back. "But anyway, I can't make you do all the work. Familias are supposed to provide for their god, right? Then this is yours."

"Huh?" Hestia blinked, knowing eyes vanishing and being replaced with confusion. "What? Percy, that's not—"

"Its fine," I replied, shrugging off her words before she even finished speaking them. "Besides supplies and such, there's nothing I really want to buy, so you can do whatever you want with it. If possible, I'd like to buy some armor eventually, but even if I get maimed a little bit, I can heal pretty fast. It's nothing to really worry about right now."

"Don't say that!" Hestia all but shouted, looking even more worried than before. "Of course it's worth worrying about. If you get hurt—"

She cut herself off, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"We'll split it," She declared, tone broking no argument. It was probably hard to make yourself look like a goddess when you were only barely more than four and a half feet tall, but she did her best. "Adventuring is a dangerous job and it requires a lot of different things. Armor, weapons, items, supplies, and more. Since you're in constant danger and the Dungeon is unforgiving, it's best to be prepared—as such, for the time being we'll put aside half of what we earn to support you. We'll put aside half of what's left as savings, in case of an emergency, and live off of the remainder. Even for two people, five thousand valis should be more than enough to live on for several weeks as long as we use it carefully."

"Oh, is it that much?" I mused. "I knew it was enough to buy some basic armor with, but I didn't think those tiny shards would amount to much."

Hestia just sighed at my words, rummaging around the contents of my bag for a minute as she separated the different amounts.

"Here," She said, handing me the bag again. "Take it. Use it. Please. If it will keep you even a little bit safer, it's worth it a thousand times over. Buy some armor. Buy all the supplies you need. I'll give you the directions to my friend Miach's pharmacy—he and his Familia make potions that adventurers use. Just...whatever happens, promise you'll come home safe. Okay?"

I took it after a moment of hesitation and nodded.

"I promise," I said. "No matter what happens, I'll come back. Surviving against all odds is kind of what I do."

I wasn't sure how reassuring Hestia found that, but she nodded anyway.

"Okay," She said. "You said you were going to head to the Guild again today, right? Why don't we update your status before you go?"

"Whatever you say," I replied, not sure what to expect.

XxXXxX​

Perseus Jackson
Lv. 1
Strength: I 3
Endurance: I 1
Dexterity: I 3
Agility: I 2
Magic: I 1
Hero: I
Mystery: I

Magic:

Blood of Poseidon: Instant Magic.

Flesh of Poseidon: Auto-Magic.

Spirit of Poseidon: Auto-Magic.

Skills:

Despair: Greatly increases the encounter rate of monsters. Effect increases as condition declines.

Hope: Provides benefits in dangerous situations. Effect increases with danger.