Children of Chaos [What if? version]

An 'Errant' Myth

As soon as they stepped foot outside, Nico and Annabeth joined them, Nico muttering something about power levels and Annabeth rambling quietly to herself about what, exactly, the two skeletons were and where they might have come from. Blue turned to Percy. "Do you know of a large, open area I can put Error in until he calms down? The logistics of getting into the place and whether or not he can survive doesn't matter because apparently even the VOID can't kill him."

Percy thought for a moment. "...The training field? It's where you guys landed, I'll show you. Is he actually a god? Are YOU a god? If he's a god, what pantheon is he from? How did you guys fall from the sky like that? What's the VOID?"

Blue tilted his head. "Uh, that's a lot of questions. He's a god, I'm not, what's a pantheon, I don't know, and the VOID is... not a good place. Almost everything that falls into it gets destroyed. It can and will rip apart your Code if you fall into it."

"So it's like Tartarus?" asked Nico without thinking.

"Tartarus?" Blue said, curious. "Like the Greek myth?"

"Yeah, minus the 'myth' part."

"I guess, except the place itself is what kills you, not any creatures." Blue paused. "Wait, Tartarus is real?"

"...Yeah?" said Percy. "What, did you think that all the Greek myths EXCEPT Tartarus were real?"

Blue sighed. "I feel like I should be surprised, but I'm literally dating a skeleton god who lives in an endless white 'dimension', travels the multiverse, and spends his free time knitting puppets and taking care of literal children. Wait, would it be multiversES now, since, for lack of a better quote, Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore?" He trailed off, mumbling to himself for a bit as every demigod that was going with them stared at him.

Annabeth tilted her head, trying to take in all the information. "If you are dating a god, how the Hades do you not know what a pantheon is?"

Nico elbowed her. "Don't use my father's name as a curse, Owlhead!"

"YoUr FaTh3r 1s HaDe$?" asked Error abruptly. The demigods jumped. They had forgotten he was here, or, at least, lucid enough to understand the conversation. "Yeah," said Nico, staring the skeleton god down. "You got a problem with that?"

Error smiled gently, and Nico had the sudden impression that he was looking at a very wise and ancient being, older and more powerful than the primordials themselves. "1, t0o, Wa$ h4t3d FoR tHe JoB f0rCeD uPoN m3. 1 c4nNoT jUdGe y0u FoR tHaT wHiCh YoUr FaTh3r Ha$ d0n3, r3g4rDl3s$ oF wHeTh3r 0r NoT h3 d1d 1t 0f Hi$ oWn VoLiTi0n."

"Was?" wondered Percy.

"HuH?"

"You said you were hated. Past tense."

Error nodded. "0h, Ye4h, Th4t. 1 f3lL oFf 4 cLiFf DuRiNg 4 b4tTl3. 3v3rYoNe Th1nKs 1'm De4d."

Will frowned. "But surely it takes more than a cliff to kill you?"

"The cliff led into the VOID," Blue explained. "We fell off a cliff and, apparently, into this camp."

"Can we get back to the part where you said Error was a god?" Annabeth 'requested'.

Error looked at her, trying to calculate something. "Ah!" the god suddenly exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "YoU'r3 a DaUgHt3r 0f 4tHeNa!" At the questioning glance he got from Blue, he said, "1nKy MaDe 4 f3w Un1v3r$e$ b4s3d 0n Gr3eK aNd RoMaN mYtHoLoGy. BaCk 1n Th3 g0oD oLd DaYs Wh3n 1 c0uLd 4cTu4lLy TaKe Br3aKs, 1 w0uLd 0b$eRv3 tHe MoRe 1nTeRe$t1nG uNiVeRs3s."

"So this... 'Inky', they can create universes?" confirmed Nico.

Error nodded. "We 4r3 l1k3 y1n 4nD y4nG," he said sadly. "1f Th1nGs HaD b3eN d1fFeReNt, PeRh4p$ w3 w0uLd HaVe Be3n Fr1eNd$, iNsTe4d 0f MoRt4l 3n3m1e$."

For a moment, the skeleton god could imagine the Star Sanses causing chaos in Nightmare's castle. Ink would probably be chasing Nightmare around, trying to get a sample of the goop on him and turn it into paint. Maybe Dream would join Blue in stealing Cross's chocolate, or maybe he would help protect it. Error and Blue wouldn't have to hide their relationship, Stretch would let Blue grow and mature as a person, and the Anti-VOID would never have another living SOUL in it again.

But the illusion soon shattered, and he sighed, returning himself to reality. Looking at the curious demigods, he pushed himself off the ground. "1 gUe$s 1 sHoUlD iNtRoDuCe My$eLf Pr0p3rLy, HuH?" They nodded. Annabeth was eager to find out more about this mysterious skeleton, whereas Nico was curious as to why he was so powerful, and Percy wanted to know if he would be a good sparring partner. Will just wanted to know where all his scars came from.

Error beamed, figuring it was worth using his full title to see their faces.

"1 aM 3rRoR $aNs, f0rCeD gOd 0f De$tRuCt1oN, De$tRoYeR oF uNiVeRs3s, 4nD y1n To 1nK."

----------

Thanks for reading! Leave any questions, comments, and concerns in the comment section! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'll try to get to everything else as soon as I can, promise! To everyone that has such lovely ideas for one- or two-shots, I'll do my best to follow your requests. Some may have to be altered because I don't see Error or Blue doing stuff like that, or because I can't find a way to work it into the plot, but I'm going to stick to your requests as best I can.

2417 words