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vi. a sense of normality
the meeting dragged on,and gale soon realized why jason always complained about them and how much he hated having to attend them. from octavian's (annoying) presence, to the ghosts constantly protesting and the annoying senators not knowing when to shut up, senate meetings were a big no in gale's book. he fidgeted in his seat slightly, watching with closed lips as the potential danger of this quest became worse by the minute. the tense mood around the room had increased tenfold, and it was obvious that most of them believed the quest would fail.
oftentimes, gale was alone in his thoughts. when he was younger, he always thought being a demigod was cool. who wouldn't at that age? having magical powers was any kid's dream. kids were always shrouded in this veil, one that made them oblivious to the harsh reality of the real world and the dangers out there that could strike when you least expect it. being a demigod, that same veil was ripped off of him when he was young. it had to be. demigods couldn't live in that veil, otherwise the harsh realities of life as a child of a god would hit and leave the child dead in a pool of their own blood.
part of him always thanked the wolf goddess for ripping that veil off of him. she had taken him and jason under her wing, teaching them the harsh realities of modern life in the world of roman mythology, and protecting them from the dangers lurking in the outside world (well of course under the guise that if they didn't become strong her and her pack would eat them). and yet, part of him hated lupa for ripping that veil off of him. he always yearned for that sense of normality, the normality that was almost never in his life. jason, arcana and reyna were probably the only constant things in his life. perhaps that's why he clung to them, and whether that be good or bad, gale didn't care. he badly desired it, and yet, it felt like he would never get it.
he was soon snapped out of his thoughts when he felt someone tap his shoulder. he flinched slightly, before turning to find out it was percy. "you alright? you kind of spaced out there."
"oh, yeah, i'm fine." gale smiled. "thank you, though."
percy smiled back, which made gale's heart skip a beat, before they both turned their attention back to the meeting.
dakota let out a loud belch, and gale could hear snickers from the back of the room. "sorry, did you say gods and demigods... like fighting side by side? that could never happen!"
"it has happened," nico said. "in the first giant war, the gods called on heroes to join them, and they were victorious. whether it could happen again, i don't know. but with alcyoneus... he was different. he was completely immortal, impossible to kill by god or demigod, as long as he remained in his home territory - the place where he was born."
nico paused to let that sink in. "and if alcyoneus has been reborn in alaska..."
"then he can't be defeated there," hazel finished. "ever. by any means. which is why our nineteen-eighties expedition was doomed to fail."
