Magic In the Air| The Lightning Thief Male Reader Insert

8. Don't Put Your Trust In the Flowers

"Arise."

My eyes snapped open and I gasped.

"You took a gamble. Whether that was stupidity or bravery is unknown to me, though."

There's that voice again.

My panting subsided for right now and I finally noticed just where I was.

The crossroads from my dream.

Dark mist curled around my body and I'm pretty sure I inhaled some of the stale taste in my mouth was any indication.

Forcing myself to sit up, I noticed that my body didn't hurt whatsoever, I only felt really tired.

"I suppose using that much magic and jumping from the Gateway Arch can leave one a bit exhausted," the voice said once more.

"Okay, who is that?" I managed to ask, slowly standing up and trying my best to glare into the darkness.

Fire bloomed from two torches that were held in midair, or at least that's what it looked like until I looked a bit harder.

There was a woman holding them up and staring at me. Her face was pale with flawless skin. This was only complimented by her green eyes and black hair. She wore dark robes that seemingly blended in with the darkness of the environment and she gave off a slight green glow.

For a second, I was lost on who she was until my mind actually started working again.

Green eyes, two torches, appearing at the crossroads with Mist surrounding her...

"Are.." My mouth suddenly felt dry. "Are you...Hecate..?"

"I noticed your skill with magic," she said, choosing not to answer my question. "Though it is quite easy to tell that you are just starting out. Impressive, all the same."

I could feel my face begin to burn. I wasn't able to tell if that was an insult or a compliment, but I took it anyway.

"Uh..did you summon me?" I slowly asked and for the first time, it seemed like she was looking at me and not through me.

"I did," she answered. "Just in time as well, you would have surely died if you hit the water and yet you still jumped. Why?"

I gulped softly. "My quest—"

"I do not remember asking about your quest," she interrupted me. For a second, I thought I saw her expression soften, but decided my eyes were playing tricks on me. "I asked why you chose to jump."

"I had just finished fighting the Chimera—I didn't have enough energy to get away." I tried to explain myself. "If I had gotten captured or caught, I figured my friends would either try to come back to get me and waste time or I would be a sitting duck for whatever monster decided they wanted a late-night snack...It seemed like the best option at the time."

Hecate stared me down. "Why take part of this quest? Surely you realize that you will gain nothing from it."

"I know," I said. "But..."

"But?"

My hands clenched. "I uh...I realized that the minor gods and goddesses don't get a whole lot of respect. I thought that if I went on the quest and we succeeded...you would be respected more."

She was silent.

"And not just you either, all of the minor gods. Just because they're not Olympians don't meant they're not important, you know?"

"And yet you told the trainer of heroes that you wished to prove your loyalty. You are loyal to the Olympians?"

I shook my head quickly and expected to be struck with lightning but I guess Zeus couldn't really reach me here. "I'm loyal to myself. The Olympians have done nothing for me like you have."