& 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐌 𝐈?

The answer was simple enough. “The powers of course. Not so easy to get a touch of divinity and then go back to being normal. Doubt I’d keep my memory of it all if I went back but still.” There was nothing that could compare to the feel of dipping into his power. Be it the speed of his father or the ability to teleport from one point to another. It was so apart of him not he could not imagine being without it. “But if you want to thank someone you can give a proper one to Greyson for sure. He actually went with me once to see how my mom was doing. I was debating on if I was coming back couldn’t leave it behind.” It meant a lot to him to have Greyson with him on that trip. Knowing he had his back whether he decided to stay or not.

With a nod he could understand the suggestion. Much like the one he gave Loreto, finding the balance between who you were and you are now. “I still use it. But probably more so in a quest than around you guys.” Feeling somewhat wrong if he wasn’t authentic with the crew. Let them see the real him as he developed into this new genuine person. Sitting up a bit with a stretch he was starting to feel the rock dig in to his back for a moment. “I don’t know about you but I feel better getting that stuff out. Guess I was holding more in my head than I thought.” Coming to sit next to Loreto and bumping his shoulder. “So…how’d I do? Think I would make a good priest? Purging the devoted of their sins!” The last bit sounding more like some old wizard as he played with a voice.

Maybe it was best that if they would have walked away from all of this, they weren’t going to keep their memories. “Sounds best that way if you ask me. The mundane world already sits heavy on the chest, imagine trying to fit back in while knowing you can teleport or read means?” The empathy was something that he was tapping more and more into and if he had to admit it, he was getting used to it. Loreto knew that he was getting comfortable with it which could also be a dangerous thing for him. “That was sweet of him. Greyson manages to capture the warmth of the sun into one smile. How was seeing your mom again after all of this?” Thankfully he felt like he did give Grey his thanks in a way, so that was going to be quite easy already.

“man, if i had psychic powers? that would just put me over the moon.” now that his ‘eyes were open’ to the world now, there were infinite possibilities as to what all was going on. his mother could be an oracle. his mother could be a demigod in her own right, just not knowing it. she might know she’s a demigod and just ‘gave up’ on that life. he could spin himself around and around thinking of all the options. he might be completely off-base. he might be spot-on the money. who was really to tell? “psh, i get that completely. if i was someone else, i wouldn’t want to get in a fight with me, either. i’ve been doin’ this way too long to not have some pretty good skills.” he was always looking for ways to improve on what he knew but he didn’t think it arrogant or cocky to acknowledge just how far along he actually was. “i bet you heard some pretty wild stuff in your time. what’s the craziest thing someone’s ever told you?”

“imagine being able to predict your opponents moves before they even throw a punch? you would be unstoppable.“ honestly, he didn’t know if there were powers that were isolated towards specific lineages, but then again he didn’t really know what those lineages were. far be it from him to make some guesses on how people could grow in their powers because he wasn’t like one of the oracles that they were talking about. now the priest was going to put it on the list to do more research. “exactly. even though a guaranteed win isn’t always on the agenda, you can have the upper hand.” loreto shifted his weight onto his other leg, but he was still looking at keaton while trying his best to stay still. “well, thinking back on what i can say because of the whole confidential thing...” his eyes gravitated towards the sky, looking through the stories in his head. “there was one person who came to me saying cain and abel kept visiting him to make him kill his brother. every time he came in, we knew we had to clear out our schedules for the next wild story.” 

“I get it. I mean not personally but I can understand where you are coming from.” There was a clear divide in their ranks of those wanting to know or connect with their missing parent and those that wanted nothing to do with them. Niko was on the lines of too curious to pass up the chance at meeting his dad, a god no less. Suddenly that empty slot was filled with something greater than he could ever imagine. “I let got of wanting or even needing to know about my dad very early. One of those things I had no power to change to why fuck my head up with what ifs and who done it. Mom was enough. She was my everything. My compass. I partly held no care because she was there. So to think what my life would be like if I didn’t have her…yeah…I get how much that could suck. How that might eat at you.” Even if he couldn’t personally put himself in Loreto’s shoes he could imagine what being an orphan would do to a person. The abandonment by not one by two parents. “No matter how you spin it she at least owes you some explanation before you should be asked to accept her. In the meantime you can just enjoy this power you get from her.”

Niko wasn’t sure if it was the weed or just how comfortable he felt around Loreto. As much as he held everything close to the chest had yet to really be as open and honest about the topic. More so because no one ever asked. “Truthfully I did in the beginning. Felt like the people here were dragging me down. At time I might still fell that way when on a mission and people have different agendas that conflict with mines…but that’s not the case with all of you.” There were many he felt a bond with. And if not through friendship there were those he held much respect for. Loreto checked both boxes. “If anything I feel whatever bonds I hold with some of you lift me up more than drag me down.”

Glad to be put among such good ranks. “Yeah, Hudson is a good one. A beast in a fight for sure. I mean our views on who needs to be saved versus put down conflicted but he still someone I wouldn’t mind having in a fight.” Gus he couldn’t recall fighting with but he was sure a good time for a laugh. At least he found it funny dropping him in water to get him clean. “I was just raised to live life to the fullest. That being safe and stuck in one place is as close to death as you can come while still above ground. I thought I had seen it all till I came here.” The smile only feeling warmer as he pushed back his cheeks. “Thanks, Lo. It means a lot. Still trying to figure out what me is…without the con. It kind was a constant before. But I do at least like the me that’s coming out. I can thank a lot of you for that.”

What did anyone do to deserve a friend like Niko? Loreto knew what it was like to be sympathetic or at least understanding with others, but that was because he was normally the one filling that role. Even though the man had only been a fake priest, he sure could speak like one of them. Fake it till you make it, but the thing was that he was probably a genuine person. The longer he stood in Mount Olympus, the more Loreto was able to see that about the other man. “Lucky for you, you never have to think about how your life would have been like without your mother. There’s something special about a mother’s love for their child. You could do anything, be anything, and they’re always going to be there to protect you. It’s something beautiful to witness. A parent’s love is like no other.” While he wasn’t technically a dad or had the love of a mother, he did have the love of three nuns and a couple of young orphans that he watched after when he was of age. He didn’t need the love of a parent since he was able to fill the void elsewhere, but it did eat him up at times. “I think I’m going to try to connect with her soon. Honor and respect the power at least.” 

Loreto laughed a bit more loudly than he should have as he thought about the last time he tried connecting with Hera. It didn’t work out to the best of his ability, but that was okay. There was nothing that he could do about it now. “What made you stay then? I only ask because if it was a person, then I need to make sure to give them thanks from my part. I know that the juxtaposing personalities can get a bit too much at times, but look at the bright side. You’re able to reach new heights and conclusions upon initially disagreeing with other people.” In order to find a compromise, a middle ground, that normally required taking a route that both sides had seemed to miss at first. “Then I hope we keep on being that positive force in your life.” 

kian doesn’t say anything for a moment. he allows the thin air to fill his lungs and occupy the very little space between them. he keeps his arms around loreto’s middle loose, but tight enough if they make a sudden turn he won’t fall off. loreto, in this moment, is almost an anchor for him. he shakes his head. “no, no.” there’s a smile on his lips, dancing there lightly. “we can go to this graveyard. it’ll be interesting.” it’s a special place for loreto and might have plenty of wayward ghosts for him to see and speak with. who knows what might happen. the history behind it is enough to at least capture his attention. besides, he needs something new to paint, maybe he’ll find some things that he’ll have to turn onto canvas—another gift for the son of hera.

“yeah, definitely. maybe she knew things, like an oracle or something.” at this point, it wouldn’t surprise him at all if his mom had some kind of magical power or something. he’d already thought that she was the greatest person in the world. it’d make complete sense to him if she was wrapped up in this more than he was aware of. “you could kinda see it that way, yeah. once i find somethin’ i’m good at, i usually stick with it pretty good. unbeatable, though? absolutely not. i got my ass handed to me plenty of times. you can’t get better without takin’ some losses here and there.” he would never claim to be ‘unbeatable’. that would just be the quickest way to getting his teeth kicked in. he was always willing to learn and get better on his skills. “ohhhhh, so you were like a therapist?”

“son of a god and an oracle, a double threat with your mundane jobs and your supernatural titles.“ since demigods could apparently walk the earth unbeknownst of their abilities, he wouldn’t put it beyond their mundane parents to actually be magical as well. luckily, that was one of the only things loreto didn’t have to worry about. he figured the nuns knew as much about this world as he sued to. “i guess there’s always going to be someone that knock you down, otherwise what’s the point of competing? from what i can see though, you’re pretty damn good. i wouldn’t want to get into a fight with you.” plus, the nuns normally just taught him how to take hits. dishing them out was a whole other monster. “not quite. a priest, but a lot of people did treat me like a therapist.” 

“Mhm..” Niko groaned as he stretched out like a house cat. He knew the others had this ability to ‘understand’ the enemy. Take into account their tortured past to deem them worthy of being saved. He stood on the other side of the line. For him anyone that attacked his friends was the enemy, there was no gray area. But he wouldn’t urge with Loreto on the subject. He knew the guy was probably for the saving of lost souls. For Niko he just wished to follow in his father’s footsteps and help guide them to the underworld. “Just do me a favor and keep Casper the friendly priest to yourself.”

Twisting his body towards Loreto he propped himself up on one arm. Gauging his friend a moment as he took in his feeling. “Do you feel like you will lose a piece of yourself by letting go of him?” Two fingers softly pressing Loreto in the middle of the chest. Niko wasn’t sure if that was what stirred in the former priest. Being one with a life not like this one he knew that it was hard to exist in both worlds. Maybe they both were standing on the same ledge wondering when they’d take the leap. “My motto is to never hold on to anything longer than you need to. You miss so much in life when you have an anchor keeping you from reaching new heights.” Words that echoed in his own head as his hand fell away.

His laughter filled the air but it wasn’t one to mock but good humor. “Not the fun ones.” A life of crime and cons was just as much for the risk as it was the reward. “Honestly the thrill of the con is whether the coin will flips in your favor. Will I gain a new prize or find myself on the wrong end of a cell.” Hist laughter slighter lighter as he turned his gaze to the sky. “Kind of like how it is when we quest. The thrill…its like a new high. The next level of the game of chance where the stakes are higher. I mean what is the point of putting your life on the line if you can’t have a little fun with it.” Sitting up a bit he leaned into Loreto, “Aww, you saying you part of my fan club?” He snickered. “Nah I’m just teasing. Kind of feels nice…people wanting me around without playing them. To be me and not a con.”

Making sure that there were no lost souls wandering around before their death was something that Loreto was used to back home. Helping people repent so that when their time came, they didn’t have anything holding them back. Although helping a group of orphans after they already died with 3 other half gods never really fell into those ranks. He was starting to wonder if this world just naturally turned someone darker with time. Even the priest seemed to slowly lose faith. “I’ll make sure I’m not messing with the rosary while you’re around. Plus, I don’t know if everyone is able to see him now.” 

The question was one that he asked himself every single morning and every single night, yet it was still one that rocked the boat emotionally long enough to shock him. “I know that God is always going to be there. Whether I believe or don’t believe. The one that I’m most worried about is Hera. I gave up on my parents long ago and now I’m supposed to just accept that one is a deity and try to form some bond?” He almost scoffed, but that would have been rude and she was probably listening in somehow. God was all knowing and present, so why wouldn’t the Greeks be? “That does make sense, but I hope you don’t think of us as a set of anchors holding you down.” His lips curled up into the corner of his mouth as he looked at Niko. The man was so wise, probably because of all of his travels.

“One of them tried to hurt Greyson?” The protective side of him coming forth at hearing his best friend had been targeted. Niko always put faith in Greyson to be able to take care of himself, especially after having his ass kick by sunshine in a spar. Didn’t stop him from wanting to protect Greyson from harm or end anyone who tried to hurt him. “Well I hope that ghost is rotting in hell…or gets extra smashed on arrival.” His hell wish aside hearing the story of the ghost seemed to creep him out a bit. “So you’re just keeping him…here? Is that a good idea?” Unsure if it was a good idea but mostly not liking the vibe of a ghost lingering around camp.

Being kind of fluid in his religious beliefs and starting to swing toward the way of a non believer before coming here the whole attachment to old gods was weak for him. For Loreto, someone who devoted himself to one god, he could imagine it wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. After devoting your entire life to something. “Whose to say both aren’t true? I mean we know the Greek Gods exist right? And there are a lot of gods even. Who can say yours doesn’t exist too? Maybe the whole ‘one god only’ rule was something implemented by man but your god is okay with…well an open religious relationship.”

It felt good hearing the words from Loreto which brought some light to his eyes. If only he could get the same reassurance from Hermes. As it appeared Niko had not done enough to receive a phone call from dad, just a cryptic ‘text’. At the mention of traditions with his mother he couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. “Yeah we have a few. But they are usually illegal and not very hero like so…” Ah, the good ol days. “…but I will probably try tracking her down once I have time. I can usually find her through he usually modes of travel and alias’.” Renewed life in his eyes met Loreto as he continued to uplift the thief. “Yeah because if I ditched now all I gave up would be for nothing. But I hope you believe the same for you…your faith in gods might be questionable but my faith in you is rock solid.”

“Yeah. One ghost in particular seemed to go from focusing on Yves to trying to focus in on Greyson.“ That was what made him want to heighten his own powers. He didn’t like feeling like he had to choose between which one he was going to protect, which one he had enough time to get to. “She’s free now. At the end of the day it was her sadness that turned to anger. What happened to her was traumatic and she wasn’t healthy enough to deal with it.” Unlike Rose who seemed to hold onto her brightness. “He said he could help us out with anything that we need. I figured having a ghost on our side for a while couldn’t really hurt.” Even if he didn’t quite understand all of the mechanics just yet.

Niko was worldly in Loreto’s eyes, there was really no other way to describe him. The thief had not only traveled a lot with his mother, at least from his stories, but that also meant that he got to experience a lot as well. “That’s what I thought of when I first got here. That both God and the Greek pantheon can exist in the same universe. Or that God is a collective. It’s just, it’s not the easiest to hold on to that when the only things of my God that I have left are what I brought with me.” As well as the other former Christians. It was hard going from a place surrounded by nuns to one that worshipped a pantheon his mother belonged to.

“my mom said she got me into it because i had way too much energy for her to handle.” he said with a laugh. looking back on it, he could certainly see why she came to that conclusion. he wasn’t exactly a troublemaker but he wasn’t ‘the perfect child’. he gave his older brother a run for his money, for sure. “i was in martial arts for a good couple years until high school when i found mma classes. from there, it was practically a straight shot. i couldn’t see myself doin’ anythin’ else…..what about you? what’s it like bein’ a priest? i was never really big in the whole……god thing…..”

“i guess we have a lot to thank your mom for then. that probably prepared you for both this world and the mundane one.“ loreto had the ghost of a smile hinted on his face as he thought about what keaton and his mother must have been like together. she at least sounded like she cared enough for her son to want to give him outlets, which was good. “so even from a young age you basically knew what you were going to hone in on. that must have been nice. i’m guessing you were unbeatable?” he chewed on his lips briefly. “it’s big on god, sure, but it was also mainly about helping out the community and others. most of my job just involved free therapy for a lack of a better term. most people just need someone to listen to them and i was glad to fill that role.” 

Appeared their troubles were on the same line. Making space for Loreto to join him as he tuned a bit more to his company. Trapped orphans, priest losing faiths and bears, oh my. Ok no bears but still. “Ok so that’s….a lot. What happened with the orphans? And the priest…when you say bound to it…you mean like a ghost or something?” Through all he has seen from hellhounds to dragons ghost remained the one thing that could freak him out. That and wax figures coming to life, remembering the Haunted House for Halloween. “Are having the same problem…not knowing what to believe in?”

With a slight groan when the tables were turned on him, “No fair. I ask about your problems to avoid talking about my own…” Trying to hold on to the last bit of humor he had before he had to be a bit more real than he wanted. “…so, last mission…everything seemed to go fine…then Kian and Josh were taken…and…I was too slow to stop it from happening.” Sure he helped them get back after they were returned but seeing the state they were in. The vision still vivid as he sat there.

“This was also supposed to be fun…one big adventure for me…but seeing people get hurt and being helpless to stop it…it fucked with me a bit.” There was a time where the only person to see him this way was his mother. But now she was ‘gone’ which only added to the weight on him. “Then this was the first birthday I spent without my mum…and I don’t even know where she has moved on to…things are just getting a little heavy. And heavy is usually when I run…but I can’t take that option anymore.”

"The orphans are fine now. They were all freed from what was binding them. One of them though, she almost killed Greyson...” He couldn’t erase that memory from his mind. Diffusing their ray of sunshine. He was so focused on thinking Yves was her target that he didn’t even think she’d go after Grey. “The priest is still stuck though, as a ghost, yes. He’s bound to the rosary. In order to free him I just have to break it, but he doesn’t want to be freed. He came to me after we arrived at camp and when I was alone.” Going from spooky encounters as a child to seeing hundreds of ghosts was draining. “Yes, almost exactly. I want to stay truth to my old faith, but it’s becoming hard being a son of God and a son of Hera. I just didn’t know where I lie on the spectrum anymore.” 

There was a soft smile on Loreto’s face when Niko realized the tables had been turned. This one was entirely genuine and even poked out one of his dimples. “You can run, but you can’t hide, little cheetah.” His heart almost sank when the thief went into the details of what happened. How was it possible that Loreto began to fear for their lives more now than when they were in the underworld? He gulped down a bit, rather loudly, as he tried to push the thought of anything bad happening to Kian and Joshua.

“𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆, 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓?” gus approaches loreto with zero tact and zero greetings - other than a quick chuck of his chin. “need your help, bro - i wanna cut a tree down.

you know, to decorate and shit, for the camp.”

the joy on the son of nike’s face is palpable - even if it’s a small gesture, he figured it would help with morale nonetheless. “but i don’t even know where an ax could be in the first place, so… plan’s kinda fucked, at the moment.” 

[ @bindfaith·. ]

"𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓." he didn’t know if he was being self critical or just honest, but it was true. joshua could probably lift both of them up with one arm. 

“although i do think that i’m going to be able to help you.“ 

the priest brightened up a bit once he realized what gus wanted to do and how excited he was himself. “i have an idea that requires minimal effort from the both of us.” he quickly sprung into action before dipping in and out of the armory like he was usain bolt, even though he didn’t run lightly at all.

loreto returned, levitating two great axes. one was on his left and the other his right. “we can sit and talk if you want me to just hack away.” 

“hm, sodomy is pretty rebellious for a church setting, no?” he lifted an elegant shoulder, his smirk a fox’s. what were the words viktor had used for this side of him before? conniving, sly, devious. mischief that lurked under the soldier’s staidness.

when loreto began making his way down the slope, credence grabbed ahold of his black sun hat and trailed after. he needed to get away from the forever storm over the lake, lest he should make the entire town get pockmarked by lightning bolts. everything in credence wanted to power that storm.

as a particularly strong wind drifted past them, he pressed a hand on his hat before it could get blown away. “if it’s going to take ages to reach the town, i’m fine,” he said as his steps came into tandem with loreto’s. “besides, i don’t want to run into a nun that raised you.” a brief pause, before – “actually, on second thought, i would. maybe she’ll bless me with your baby pictures and more stories about this young, rebellious loreto.” he said with the same smirk from before, glossing over the fact that no one would truly remember loreto here. 

they were ghosts out in the mortal world, all forgotten memories. 

"yes, but that wasn’t really on my mind back then.” one made the nuns feel like he never listened while growing up and the other probably would have gotten kicked out of the whole establishment. although if that’s what he was going for, it would have worked.

the priest couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. he felt like he was with one of those housewives that the rich men brought back from the states and showed them off at mass. “don’t worry, i’ll treat you just like they treat the queens here.” loreto offered credence a soft smile just to make sure the man knew his vibe was still light.

keaton always made sure that the people that posed for his sketches were the most comfortable that they could possibly be. he knew that it wasn’t the fastest process in the world and he didn’t want them hating the picture before it was even done. “i think it’s more of an escape. i never really went after it, ya know? not like i did with the ring, at least. i just went with the flow of it.” sketching was his ‘chill’ activity. being in the ring was such a high-energy thing. he needed something on the opposite side of the spectrum to balance it out.

"so you had the thing that wound you down and then the job that wound you up. an interesting balance. why did you choose the ring?” thankfully since the position was comfortable enough, he was able to stay still. the only thing that was really moving was his mouth as he spoke to keaton. “i guess that’s like me with being a priest and taking up woodcarving. not necessarily exciting reverse winding down, but solitary versus constantly surrounded by others.” 

kian keeps his grip around loreto’s mid section lose, though his hands rest flat against the defined muscles of his abs. their bodies almost breathe together and he thinks that he can feel the steady rhythm of loreto’s heartbeat against his own. it’s a comforting feeling, even as they ascend higher and higher into the sky. “and now you’re taking me to a graveyard.” kian says with a huff of a laugh, he rests his forehead against loreto’s shoulder blade and shakes his head, a smile dancing over his lips. “you have a strange way of taking boys on dates, father garrido.” he doesn’t know if credence’s trip to venezuela was a date for him, not that it mattered, but even still—loreto’s thoughts and plans for where he takes certain people didn’t escape him, there was detail in them, a thought on how it might connect him to the person he’s taking and kian, for the life of him, doesn’t let it go unnoticed. 

“Why do you think most happy people are stupid? Intelligence is the quickest way to insanity. I try to find a balance between the two. Smart enough to know better but dumb enough to give it a try anyway.” It was sound logic. At least to him. Though with the amount of weed in his system at the moment ‘logic’ was not his most supported form of thinking. He really wish he could thank whoever this Elijah was that left his weed bush behind.

Niko thought of how much he liked Loreto. The ex-priest, son of Hera, dependable shield in battle. But he still knew so little about the guy. Outside of the fact he was one of the good ones. Enough to care how he was feeling but not sure if he should push a subject that made a seeker of knowledge find ignorance appealing. But it was clear by his string of words that something was on his mind.

Sinking a bit into his rock, feeling close to melting over the outlay of stone, Niko started give all his thoughts to maybe see if the guy was okay. “You good, Lo? If you need an ear I have been known to be a pretty good listener. I pretended to be a priest once before so we could even do confession if you needed.” Facing tensing a bit as he realized he admitted something h might not have meant to. “Um…pretend you didn’t hear that last part.”

“Guess it’s up to us to decide whether we want to be happy or aware of the things that are going on in the world.“ Seeing as how the demigods all said yes to going to Mount Olympus, to fighting in a war because of their supposed parents, he assumed he already knew the answer. “Some people would just call that courage.” This time his smile wasn’t as forced as before, he wasn’t pretending. Maybe they were all a mix of ignorant and intelligent to take a leap of faith like this, or a shot in the dark.

"Would it be fair if I don’t necessarily know how to answer that question?” Loreto snickered a bit to himself before he took a seat next to Niko. “The last quest I went on had orphans that were trapped, some turned vengeful. Then the rosary I found during it has a priest bound to it who doesn’t know what he believes in anymore. it’s just been a lot to process in two days.”