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ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ ᴘɪɢᴇᴏɴꜱ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ

As if in response to some unspoken command, the hearth's flames erupted in a triumphant display. Brilliant red tongues of fire surged forth from the burning coals, enveloping the entire camp. Yet, he ensured that not a single flame came close to touching this ground. The fire was hovering just above the ground, so the ground wouldn't be charred. Aster knew how much I loved this place he would never destroy it. It was just a warning as to what he could do, it was a show of his power, and only Grover, Annabeth and I witnessed this in the Underworld.

It was easy for others to overlook the fact that he was a son of a Primordial, often regarding him as just another demigod. Yet, for the three of us who embarked on that quest with him, we would never forget it. Down in Hade's realm, we caught a glimpse of his restrained fury, knowing full well that he possessed the capacity for even greater wrath than he occasionally revealed.

Sometimes, Aster scared me more than Ares or Zeus himself, but I knew Aster would never harm me even by mistake. I trusted him not to do it.

A blazing fire seemed to have ignited within his eyes, radiating a brilliance that matched the flames dancing in our midst. In his right palm, ember flames flickered and converged, sculpting themselves into an enigmatic, spear-like form. The camp fell into a hushed stillness. Those who had once seen him as the reserved, quiet kid now beheld a formidable display of power. Fear painted itself across the faces of onlookers.

"Is this how you treat people?"His voice cut through the air like a razor, deceptively calm yet echoing with a force that reached every corner of the camp. I couldn't help but be astonished by this, given that the camp was set in an open area where the formation of an echo should have been practically impossible.

"Have you truly forgotten the pain when the mortal world rejects you? Mocks you? Casts you aside?" His words carried the weight of truth as he addressed them. His rhetorical questions seemed to slice through them, forcing each person to confront their own past. 

Yet, in the midst of this solemn moment, a courageous Ares camper chose to break the silence, not with a whisper but a resounding shout.

"But he's a monster! We should treat him as such!"

Aster's laughter, though a mere chuckle, carried a sinister edge. It sent a shiver down my spine, making me feel sympathy for the unfortunate soul at the receiving end of his judgment. I couldn't help but cringe at the thought of being in the recipient's shoes. It was a position nobody wished to find themselves in.

"Monster?" His voice was but a whisper, yet it cut through the silence of the camp, where only the occasional crackling of embers was heard. "Tell me," he continued, his words laden with a weighty significance, "what exactly defines a monster, boy? Are they those who callously take the lives of the innocent?" The haunting questions reverberated in the stillness, causing the listeners to ponder.

"Consider this," he continued, "Are our godly parents, in their moments of divine wrath, not also capable of extinguishing the lives of thousands of innocent people? And if you dare to label them as monsters, would you then stand against the gods themselves?" His gaze swept across the assembly. "Are we, who fight against these monsters, not inching perilously close to becoming one in the process?" The thoughtful tone in his voice echoed the complex moral dilemmas that underscored their very existence in this world.

A hushed and stunned silence settled over the onlookers in the aftermath of that speech, leaving dumbfounded faces. The only sound that broke this profound stillness was the eerie crackling of the flame resting in the palm of Aster's hand. With precision, the fiery ember darted forth and lodged itself just between Tantalus's legs, a proximity that sent a shiver down everyone's spine.