Percy Jackson X Genshin Impact

Rowan III

The Same Night as Damian Winters' first recorded death

Detective (and ex police captain) Rowan Lawrence stood on the precipice of the city's red light district. The ambient lighting, booming music, and overall aroma of seduction made him feel right at home. He sighed and rustled through his black trench coat's countless pockets until he finally brushed against the smooth, metallic feel of his lighter. Rowan pulled out the matte black rectangle and brushed his index finger against the intricate gold lines that ran across its textured surface. Out of nowhere, a cigarette materialized in between his fingers and Rowan lit his smoke as he slid the lighter back into his pocket with his free hand. The smell of honey mixed with tobacco intertwined with the faint smell of flowery perfumes that hung in the air. He stood there for a few minutes, just listening and watching the night-life of the city he had grown up in. As the bustling foot traffic began to die down, Rowan took one last puff before his cigarette disappeared in a spray of orange embers. A faint beeping sound could be heard from behind him as Rowan sighed and turned around. A masked man in a black suit almost seemed to emerge from the darkness of the night. Rowan bent down and turned off the small black transmitter that sat beside him. He waited for a moment before he spoke:

"About time you showed up."

The man said nothing and aimed a fiery blue revolver at Rowan's head. The cerulean glow illuminated the man's mask. It was a stark white skull that covered his entire face. The man's cold eyes were devoid of all emotion and fixated on Rowan.

"Don't take all day," Rowan muttered.

With a bang, a glowing bullet pierced Rowan in the head. A second later, two more sunk into his chest and heart. The detective exploded in a blaze of orange fire and the masked man lowered his gun.

"You should know better than to let down your guard Merrick," a voice said as a gloved hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder.

The masked man whipped around and there he was, detective Rowan Lawrence, completely unscathed. Without hesitation, Merrick kicked Rowan in the stomach and the detective went flying into a nearby building. The masked man held out his hand and a glowing blue scythe appeared in his grip. Rowan rose from the rubble and smiled, "Is that all you've go-"

Without warning, the butt of the scythe caught Rowan in the chin and he staggered backwards. The masked man descended upon him with his weapon but Rowan managed to grab ahold of the blade with his gloved left hand. Blood dripped from where the razor sharp scythe cut his palm but Rowan held on with an iron grip. "My turn."

Rowan's eyes ignited with orange flames as a burning arrow manifested in his right hand. "Fire."

As Rowan released the arrow, it shot out with immense speed and pierced Merrick's suit. It exploded in a shower of flames as the masked man struggled to recover from the blast.

"Oh, we aren't done until you tell me where Hades is," Rowan said as he wrenched the scythe away from his opponent and leaped into the air.

Several more glowing arrows appeared behind him and Rowan flicked his hand as they rained down upon Merrick. Continuing his assault, Rowan came crashing down onto the masked man and proceeded to sucker punch him in the face. As soon as Rowan's fist came into contact with the mask, his vision was overtaken by darkness.

"I see you've done your research on me," A cacophony of voices echoed from all around Rowan.

Rowan calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter as he lit another cigarette.

"Yes sir, I have," He replied.

"What business does the last vessel of Apollo have to do with me?"

"I have a proposal," Rowan answered.

An unseen wind whipped across his face as he could feel the boiling anger of the primordial deity swirl around him. Rowan felt a sharp sting along his cheek and the warm blood dripped down into the pitch black void he stood on.

"And what would that be?"

Rowan exhaled a puff of smoke as he looked at the masked man in front of him.

"Hades, I want you to leave the world of the living alone. You and I both know all too well the consequences of the gods overstepping their boundaries."

The wind died down as Rowan turned his attention towards the masked figure and continued to speak.

"And you, we aren't finished. I still need you to tell me where the fragment of the Underworld is located."

"I will do no such thing," Merrick growled.

"You have no other choice," Rowan mocked. "You're barely clinging to life with your master's power. Sooner or later, he'll replace you."

"You don't understand," Merrick replied as he began to rise. "You still have a blood debt to repay towards the underworld. Don't forget about how we let you live long enough to absorb Apollo's power."

"And how exactly will I pay this debt?" asked Rowan.

"With your life!" screamed Merrick as he lunged at Rowan and the two snapped back to reality.

Merrick grabbed his fallen scythe and took aim. The blade glowed brighter than ever before as the energy from within the weapon flowed through the masked man. He raised the blade up high and swung it down directly onto Rowan. The detective quickly dodged and came up behind Merrick and put him in a chokehold.

"Talk!" Rowan demanded as he continued to put pressure onto the masked man's neck.

An elbow sunk into Rowan's stomach and he grunted in pain. This temporary distraction allowed Merrick to slip out of Rowan's grip and kick him away. The detective rolled across the pavement and slowly got up, clutching his midsection.

"That hurt asshole!"

Rowan spit out a gob of congealed blood before his eyes began to glow bright white. Rowan threw his coat over his shoulders as power welled up within him. Merrick quickly pulled out his revolver and aimed at the detective but it was too late. A flash of orange light followed by a fiery explosion knocked the masked man off balance. In the blink of an eye, Rowan appeared in front of Merrick and picked him up by the throat.

"Last chance, tell me where it is,"

"Never." Merrick choked out.

"Fine," Rowan replied as his gloved hands burst into flames and incinerated the assassin.

Merrick's ashes fell to the ground, followed by his cracked mask. Rowan knelt down and touched the mask, suddenly, his eyes burst into flames but he continued to calmly stare at the fragmented visor. After a minute, he stood up and cracked his neck.

"The last piece of the Underworld's latched onto a new host. If a primordial deity managed to get his hooks into a vessel, there's no telling what kind of damage he could cause," Rowan muttered to himself as a golden aura engulfed him and his wounds started to heal. He snapped his fingers and he disappeared in a wave of orange flames.

Rowan reappeared in his apartment, the scent of fresh apples lingered in the air as he surveyed his home. His grey bed sheets were neatly tucked into the queen size bed. As the marble kitchen counters sparkled in the moonlight. Rowan took off his coat and threw it onto the bed as he sighed and stared out of the large glass window that overlooked the city. He picked up the white note that sat on the nightstand and unfolded it. Written in neat cursive was a reminder from Alyssa: "Don't you dare come in late tomorrow. Something big's going on and I want to talk to you. P.S. Love you. (No more dessert if you don't show up) " Rowan smiled slightly, he loved that woman but she took her work way too seriously. His black undershirt seemed to blend into the darkness as he gazed at the moon. The night was as dark as ink but the stars gave off a twinkling glow that comforted him. Rowan rubbed his eyes, trying to gather his scattered thoughts but it was no use. His eyes were getting tired and as he closed them for a second, Rowan drifted off into the moonlit night.