Chapter Text
Keith had a feeling that he was the unluckiest guy in the whole universe. If somebody asked him when his life turned into such a mess, he would look them in the eye and, with most deadpan voice, say, ”Since the day I was born."
Growing up, Keith was used to moving around and not having constant parental figures. He was used to calling his foster parents by their names, not mom and dad. For all he knew, he never had a mom or a dad. He couldn't remember his birth parents.
Keith was used to visits from random social workers, so at this point he didn't even bother trying to remember their names. Keith and his foster siblings were sitting at the kitchen table, with Mr. Social Worker across from them. Keith had come to see social workers as a type of travel agent; Always stopping by to move kids around homes.
Keith never felt comfortable around them, but this particular social worker was making him feel really nervous. Keith glanced at his foster siblings, trying to check how they were doing. He wasn't the oldest kid in the household, but Keith had spent the most time in the foster system.
Sabrina was ten years old, which was ironic to Keith, as he'd been in the foster system for as long as she'd been alive. At the moment, she was drinking a juice box and looking at her feet. She was new to this, having been in the system for only a few months.
Mateo, only a month older than Keith, was biting his nails. He was terrified. Keith felt sympathy for the boy. Mateo was in and out of the system, mostly because his own family was troubled (in the eyes of the law, at least). He was back in the system again since his dad got arrested, and his mom was deemed unfit to take care of him.
Lukas, the oldest, was looking directly at Mr. Social Worker. Lukas had been in the system for almost four years, the anniversary being right around his fifteenth birthday.
Keith, having spent a decade in the foster care system, knew how this meeting was probably going to go. Mr. Social Worker would ask them all about how they spend their days, what they usually eat, and other dumb questions like that. Then he would write something down, give the kids a big smile, and say something like, "That wasn't hard, was it?" Or some stupid thing like that. After that, Patricia and Roger would come in and look worried, as if the children had been talking shit about them. In the end, it was up to Mr. Social Worker's assessment, whether Patricia and Roger were fit to take care of all four foster children they were in charge of or not.
However, something was still unsettling about this social worker. Keith just couldn't put his finger on it. Mr. Social Worker was colder than other social workers that Keith had met, and he kept looking at the kids with hungry eyes. Keith noticed that Mr. Social Worker had been eyeing him more closely than his foster siblings. His mind started wandering to the food fight incident a few days ago. The one that got him expelled, and the one that was most likely the reason for this visit. He wanted to sink into his chair. It took Lukas elbowing him for Keith to realize that Mr. Social Worker had asked him a question.
"What?" Keith asked.
"You've been expelled recently," Mr. Social Worker said, as if the fact amused him. Keith squirmed in his chair. It felt like it suddenly turned into most uncomfortable seating imaginable.
"How do you plan on finishing your education?" Mr. Social Worker continued.
Keith looked at his lap and mumbled softly. Sabrina loudly slurped her juice box. Time seemed to slow. Keith felt ashamed and weak.
"This is, what, the fourth school you've been expelled from?" The way Mr. Social Worker spoke made it sound like he was setting up a joke rather than a question.
"You need to learn to control your temper, Keith Kogane."
Keith felt more than ashamed, he felt exposed. He could feel Mateo, Lukas, and Sabrina watching him. He knew their eyes were filled with pity. This wasn't the first time someone had pity for Keith. He hated it.
"Mateo Rivera," Mr. Social Worker switched kids, and Keith could see a subtle change in the man. He looked more monstrous. His eyes were ravenous, his smile was wicked. It was as if he was playing with the children, and waiting for the perfect time to strike.
"I talked to your sister. She was unable to get the judge to sign your adoption papers."
Keith looked at Mateo, who had paled. Mateo, like Keith, had gotten in trouble with school this month. Mateo might not have been expelled, but he was suspended. Keith wanted to regret the food fight he caused, but he couldn't. Not when he got to embarrass the kids who were picking on Mateo and Sabrina. Thankfully, Sabrina wasn't in the cafeteria at the time and didn't get in trouble.
"I'm afraid Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey can't take care of four kids simultaneously. I mean, half of you received disciplinary actions and got kicked out of school. You do understand what will happen after this meeting, right?" Mr. Social Worker closed his notebook. "We already found a spot in an orphanage with another foster family."
Keith clenched his fist, trying to imagine how good it would feel to punch Mr. Social Worker in the jaw. Mr. Social Worker stood up and opened the kitchen door. Patrica and Roger were standing outside, looking between the children and Mr. Social Worker.
"I'll give you two boys time to pack and say goodbyes," Mr. Social Worker said, grinning. Keith wanted to dislocate his jaw so badly.
"About half an hour? How's that sound?"
Mateo nodded. Keith didn't trust his body, so he didn't move until Mr. Social Worker was out of the room. Once he'd left, Patrica came into the kitchen. Despite the fact that Mr. Social Worker didn't threaten her future, she looked scared.
"My boys!" Her eyes were teary. Out of all the foster mothers Keith had had in his life, he liked Patrica the most. She opened her arms to hug Keith and Mateo, then hesitated. It was known that neither Keith nor Mateo liked being hugged. Mateo, who had started crying as soon as Mr. Social Worker left, ran into Patrica's arms.
"Keith." Sabrina looked up at Keith. Her lower lip was quivering. Keith's heart broke. Keith had bonded most with Sabrina. After losing her parents she had isolated herself from the world, but Keith found common ground with her, being an orphan also. She was like his little sister, he would do anything for her.
He wrapped his arms around her. Keith buried his head into her hair. She cried onto his shirt, gripping him tightly.
"Roger, can help you boys pack,“ Patrica said, still holding Mateo. "Can I make you some sandwiches for the road?" She asked as she wiped Mateo's tears away.
Mateo nodded, reluctantly letting go of Patrica. Sabrina let go of Keith, and wiped her own tears with her sleeve. "I'm gonna miss you, Keith."
Keith smiled as he ruffled her hair. "Learn to aim better, then."
She softly punched him in the chest. Her cheeks and eyes were red from crying, but at least now she was smiling.
It didn't take long for Keith to gather all of his belongings. He had a few shirts, two pairs of pants if you count the one he's wearing, and a few pairs of socks and underwear. Keith also had a hunting knife, although he couldn't quite remember how he got it. He felt a strong pull of rightness towards the knife. It had a double edged blade and a leather handle. A wild boar was etched on the handle. The knife held many unanswered questions for Keith.
Once he was done packing, Keith met Mateo at the steps.
"Are you going to be okay?" Mateo asked, holding his bag close to him.
"As okay as I'll ever be," Keith responded. He looked at Mateo. He felt guilty for starting that stupid food fight that caused Mateo more trouble than pleasure. The useless pleasure of seeing his bullies humiliated. "Mat. I'm sorry for-"
"Don't be," Mateo said, cutting Keith off.
"But, we're- who knows how your next foster family will treat you? And it's my fault for getting us in trouble."
"You're the one you should be worried about. If everything goes right, my sister will get me out." Mateo paused for a brief moment. "I hope you find your family, Keith. I really do."
Keith bitterly smiled. He knew his chances of being adopted were getting slimmer with each passing year. He was twelve, and teenagers almost never get adopted. Those who do get adopted are considered a miracle. A legend. A mythical hero. Keith was none of those things. He was an orphan, with no past to go back to, and no future to look forward to. The only thing keeping him on his feet was his survival instinct.
Speaking of which, as soon as he saw Mr. Social Worker grinning at them, Keith's survival instinct kicked in. Every part of his body was telling him to run. To hide.
Patrica was holding onto Lukas, as if he was anchoring her to reality. Keith was going to miss her. Lukas looked as if he was trying to memorize the boys who were walking away. Roger was talking to Mr. Social worker. Sabrina ran from behind Patricia to Keith and Mateo.
"Don't go!" She looked terrified. She glanced at Mr. Social Worker then back at Keith and Mateo. "Please don't go with him!"
"We don't have a choice in this, sorellina," Mateo said, taking Sabrina's hand.
"Stay awesome, Sabrina," Keith said, and they left.
In the car, Keith felt trapped. It was a very expensive cage where Keith felt powerless. The two boys sat in the backseat while Mr Social Worker drove his luxurious moving prison. Patrica had made sandwiches and packed a few bags of junk food, as a snack for both Mateo and Keith. Mateo had already opened his bag of chips, not caring if he left crumbs on Mr. Social Worker's car seats and floor. Keith stared at the rear view mirror, closely observing the reflection of Mr. Social Worker's eyes. There was something unnatural about them. Something sinister.
"So, which one of you is it?" Mr. Social Worker's voice was cold, raspy and something else that Keith couldn't identify, but it made him shiver.
Mateo choked on his chips. Keith felt a sudden urge to open the car door, he didn't care that the car was in motion. As soon as the thought occurred to him, he remembered that Mr. Social Worker had locked all the doors the moment Keith and Mateo had strapped down their seat-belts. Keith felt sick.
"Keith Kogane? Or Mateo Rivera?" Mr. Social Worker asked, like he was debating what to get from a fast food menu. Keith glanced from his feet to his bag. His hunting knife was in there somewhere. Somewhere deeply buried in his clothes. Even if he could get it out in time, before Mr. Social Worker decides to turn towards Mateo and him, there was no way he could stop Mr. Social Worker from harming them both while being strapped down to his seat.
Keith looked at Mateo, who had a confused and scared look on his face. Keith didn't feel confused. He was scared, yes, but he wasn't confused. He had a feeling he knew what Mr. Social Worker was talking about, like when the teacher references something you had learned before and forgotten, but you knew it was familiar. You were sure you knew it at some point.
The car was silent for a while, until Keith noticed what was so sinister about Mr. Social Worker's eyes. They were pitch black. Keith felt as if he was looking into his death.
"If no one's going to answer me, I guess I'll have to kill you both."
At these words, Keith grabbed for his bag. He needed to protect Mateo and himself from who or whatever this thing was that was driving them.
"Excuse me?" Mateo bravely squeaked. Keith hurriedly searched for his knife and kept his eyes firm on the rear view mirror. Those eyes were watching the boys. Keith didn't like how cold and dark the stare felt. Mr. Social Worker hit the brakes, and the car behind them barely avoided hitting them. Keith dropped his bag from the sudden stop. He went to reach for it.
"One of you has strong divine blood. The other is fated for divine things." Mr Social Worker turned towards them, and Keith's breath hitched. His dark skin looked as though it was made out of scales. Keith gripped the handle of his hunting knife, still hiding it inside of his bag. Mateo squeaked and scrambled to unfasten his seat-belt.
"You could both grow to be quite pains in my neck. So, like any pests, better to deal with you now rather than later." Mr Social Worker grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. Mateo kicked him in the jaw, giving Keith enough time to undo his own seat belt.
"That wasn't such a smart move," Mr. Social Worker said, massaging his jaw. Before he could strike Mateo, Keith slashed his knife, cutting Mr. Social Worker's hand. Mateo squeezed himself into the front seat, trying to find the unlock button. Keith glared at the monster, daring him to try and hurt Mateo. The monster's eyes flickered with recognition.
"Found you."
That sent a chill down Keith's spine. Keith heard the click of the locks. Mateo had unlocked the car. Keith slashed his knife again, cutting the monster's face. Mr. Social Worker seemed to focus solely on Keith, and he was glad for it. Mateo was out of the car.
"You didn't think that you could hide from me, did you?" The monster crawled towards Keith. Keith felt his hand trembling.
"You have no where to run, puny demigod. Nowhere to hide. You are left alone."
Keith was paralysed. He wanted to scoot over closer to the door. He wanted to get away from this monster, but all Keith could do was stare at his eyes. His dark holes.
Demigod. It took seconds for the word to register into Keith's mind. The word felt familiar, yet dangerous. It felt like it made perfect sense to Keith, which terrified him. He didn't understand what was going on.
"When you die, nobody will even miss you. What a pathetic death that will be." The monster smiled, showing off his sharp teeth, and came forward to attack. Keith gripped his knife tightly and prepared for impact, but before he could do anything a rock hit the passenger's window, breaking the glass and startling both the monster and Keith. Mateo threw another rock, and this time it hit the monster. The monster didn't look too bothered, he just made a tsk sound.
"Gods I hate children," the monster rumbled.
Keith took his opportunity to exit the car. As soon as he opened the door, however, the monster grabbed his foot.
"You didn't think you could escape so fast, now did you, little Demigod?"
Keith screamed out of terror. He stabbed the monster in the hand. The monster shouted in pain.
"KEITH!" Mateo yelled. Keith moved his knife, trying to cut the monsters hand off, but the scales slowed him down. Keith wiggled his leg, trying to get it out from the monster's grasp. It took few kicks for monster to let go of Keith.
Keith hurriedly got out of the car. He could feel his heart racing. Mateo ran towards him.
"Keith, what is that thing?" He asked as the monster came out of the car. Mr. Social Worker's hand was bleeding, but it didn't look like normal blood. Keith was sure this was a monster, but he didn't know what kind. A few hours ago, he was sure that monsters like this didn't exist. These inhuman creatures.
"I don't know," Keith said as the monster came closer.
"Now that wasn't very nice of you," the monster growled, showing off the hand that Keith had stabbed. "I can't just let you go after this, now can I?"
Keith gripped his hunting knife. He felt a surge of confidence and adrenaline kick in. Since Mateo was weaponless, Keith stood between his foster sibling and the monster. The knife felt like an extension of his hand. It was an anchor that was keeping him alive and fighting.
The monster charged at Keith.
"MATEO, RUN!" Keith yelled as he slashed his knife, defending himself from the monster's attack.
Mateo hesitated, "I can't leave you!"
Keith kicked the monster in the knee and ran for Mateo as the monster stumbled. Keith grabbed Mateo's hand and sprinted away from the monster. Keith guided Mateo through a street. Mateo squeaked as they almost got hit by a truck. Keith glanced back to see the monster still following them. Keith looked at Mateo, who was terrified. They had to get away from that thing. He had to get Mateo somewhere safe.
That somewhere was not the foster system.
Keith cursed as a car almost hit him, and changed their path. When they finally got across the road, Keith looked back at the monster. He was still following them. The cars didn't seem to be too bothered by his unnatural appearance. Drivers honked and stepped on breaks, trying not to hit the monster with their cars. Some of them even cursed and flipped him off through their open windows.
Keith didn't understand how people weren't bothered by a scaly, bleeding guy running across a road.
"Mateo, RUN! Run and don't look back!" Keith warned.
Mateo shook his head. Keith gritted his teeth, trying to think of his next step.
"If we split up, the thing will have to choose which one to follow," Keith stated and pointed towards a park. "You run towards the woods, and hide. I'll try to get it to follow me. I have a weapon. Now, GO!"
Mateo hugged Keith for the last time.
"Survive," was all Mateo said before he ran off into the direction Keith had showed him.
"Hey, ugly!" Keith taunted the monster, "Are you going to take shit from a twelve year old?" When he had its attention, he gripped the handle of his knife. Keith waited few seconds, to give Mateo enough time to get away and hide, and ran in opposite direction of the park. In his run, he yelled few taunts to the monster. Insulting its appearance, its mother. Keith used all the lines he heard from his classmates through the years, only tweaking the key words so it would apply to the monster.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you die, little demigod," the monster said as it got closer. Keith could feel his body getting tired from the running. He couldn't run forever, he knew that. However, he had led the monster far enough for Mateo to stay hidden. Keith faced the monster. The monster was grinning.
Keith waited as the monster charged. Just before the monster could reach him, Keith ducked. He swept his foot to trip the monster. Once the monster was on the ground, Keith quickly got onto its chest, pinning it down. The unsettling thing about the situation was that the monster was still grinning at Keith, the dark eyes inviting Keith to strike.
"If you kill me, your scent will only grow stronger." The monster nodded at Keith's hunting knife. "You'll only get more of us coming after you. Do it. Do it and your life will be full of pain and suffering."
Keith stabbed the monster. The monster's dead body started turning into dust.
When he was finally out of danger, Keith could feel his body ache. His leg, the one that monster grabbed in the car, was bleeding. He ripped up his pants and tied the fabric around the scratches as a makeshift bandage. Keith gasped in pain when he tried to walk. He looked back at the park where Mateo was hiding somewhere. Keith wanted to find him. To make sure Mateo was safe.
Keith somehow managed to drag his aching body towards the park. He called out Mateo's name, hoping his foster sibling was in earshot. Just as he was about to call out for the third or forth time for Mateo to come out, Keith heard a low growl. It sounded like a pack of dogs. Keith could tell that he was surrounded by them. He was tired. His leg hurt like hell. The last thing he needed was to be attacked by a pack of wild dogs while he was looking for Mateo.
Keith gritted his teeth. He turned around, and tried to make his body seem bigger. What he saw wasn't a pack of dogs that surrounded him. They were wolves. One of the wolves stepped closer to Keith. This one, Keith thought, is the alpha. The alpha wolf showed its sharp white fangs, and glared at Keith. For some strange reason, Keith felt like he was being tested. He glared back at the alpha, mimicking its expression.
"You're one powerful demigod." Keith heard a female voice, but he couldn't find who spoke it. He felt uneasy. Last time he heard the term demigod, someone tried to kill him. He gripped his knife, ready to fight for his life again.
"Take it easy child. You have already proved yourself, Keith Kogane." It took Keith a moment to realize the voice was coming from the alpha.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Before he could think how crazy he must be going, Keith asked the alpha wolf.
"I'm Lupa." The wolf responded. "The wolf goddess. You're a son of a Roman god."
I'm definitely going crazy, Keith thought.
The alpha, no, Lupa the wolf goddess, sat in front of Keith. Keith noticed the other wolves followed suit.
"You must have wondered about your parentage? Out of all the demigods, you must have most questions about them. "
"I don't have parents."
The wolf goddess scoffed, "Of course you have parents. If you didn't you wouldn't exist. Everyone has parents. Even gods have their parents. "
That made Keith shut up. Truthfully, he knew he had come from somewhere, and when he was younger he wondered who his biological parents were. He had since grown out of daydreaming about his famous parents who would come and pick him up.
"Your father is a god. Your mother was a mortal woman, making you a demigod. A child of a divine and mortal parents." Lupa watched Keith's reaction. Keith walked backwards into a tree and slid down to a crouch. This whole day was weird beyond compare.
Being told about his parents filled Keith with cold water. His six year old self had had many questions about his parents. Did they love him? Were they proud of him? Why did they leave Keith by himself? Will he see them again? He was told his mother was dead, and nobody knew who his dad was. Now, a wolf goddess was telling him that his dad is a god. An ancient roman god.
"Which god?" Keith asked, still trying to process what he was being told.
"Your father will claim you when you are ready. When you find the camp for those like you. Camp Jupiter."
Lupa then explained how this camp Jupiter was a safe haven for demigods like Keith. She told him to go west and search for the camp borders.
"Wait. What about Mateo? " Keith asked when Lupa started explaining how the camp was mortal proofed. Some kind of mist that blocked mortals from seeing the divine mythical world by disguising it as something their eyes could understand.
"Your foster sibling has already chosen a path. Now you must choose one for yourself,” Lupa said. "Will you go to camp, go to safety, or will you wander the mortal world until a monster comes and kills you?"