<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/NU2UuWW.jpg?1)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">Zachary Cameron (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=315138.msg15348294#msg15348294)</span><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong>Blessed By::</strong> Zeus<br/><strong>Location::</strong> Gates<br/><strong>Tagging::</strong> Akira, Cassandra, Open<br/><strong>Mentioning::</strong> Other Blessed, Zeus<br/><strong>Date/Time::</strong> 6/20 - Morning<br/><strong>Mood::</strong> Focused, Determined<br/><strong>Wearing::</strong> Ancient Grecian Armor (https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/7YN4Kh66PZ6AEbJ1t-tcW8NlqNs/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2011/11/45/3/192/1922283/2e22af9b310b4d8b_FINAL-Sean-Bean-Zeus-Google/i/Zeus-Percy-Jackson-Olympians.jpg)<br/><strong>TRIGGER WARNINGS::</strong> None</span><br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><br/><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> He stood with the others, looking majestic and regal in his armor that had appeared to him in a dream, and then he had made to fit the specifications so he could please Zeus. It was still strange coming to terms with him not being around until only a year ago, and even then very rarely. But hey, Gods were busy. It wasn't like his human parents always had time for him either, so he understood. He just wanted to get a better relationship with the man...God...God man? He nodded to Miss Akira when she explained what they'd be doing, and to follow her into the underground temple. <br/><br/>And then, she said there would be a party after the ceremony. Oh yeah, that meant good food, good drink and a damn good time that he'd get to spend with Aurora and everyone else. He was looking forward to it. He followed the others into the temple, and then they were separated and he went down to his fathers shrine. It looked like any other shrine, a big room with braziers and candles and a statue. Nothing out of the ordinary. When he entered however, something felt off, it felt <em>different</em>. The air was charged, like you could feel the pressure and atmosphere around you. Even the small down feathers on Thorondor rose in response to the majesty one could simply experience by being in this place. <br/><br/>"Almighty Zeus...<em>Father</em>," Zach spoke with confidence while walking toward the shrine, then stopped and kneeled down. His eagle hopped from the perch on his master and did the same, holding one massive wing out as in bowing to Zeus. "We don't talk much, but this is an opportunity I suppose. I'm here to offer you a gift, I was told. Something meaningful that represents our relationship...or something. They were bare bones on the details, but I think I figured what to get for the God who has everything," he said with a bit of a laugh. Revealing the thing he'd been keeping inside the box, he pulled out an ornate jar, a leyden jar to be exact. <br/><br/>The ancient device invented by a German Cleric and a Dutch Scientist back in the 1700's. The only difference was that this one didn't have any of the extra parts necessary for it to function properly. Zach didn't need them. "Despite being the youngest of your brothers, you wield the most power. You rule over the land and hold the sky in the palm of your hand. So I gift you knowledge that your son is doing his best to make you proud, and will continue to do so. Knowledge that these powers your blood has given me will not be used improperly or in vain." He didn't realize while he spoke, but the room had changed and he seemed to no longer be in the temple. He was, but not even another Zeus blessed would see him kneeling in place. <br/><br/>And if he would look around, it would seem he was in an open air temple surrounded by clouds. It was what he pictured Mt. Olympus to be. Standing, he nudged his bird so he could get a safe distance away, then he held one arm high above his head and focused. In the metaphysical plane he existed in, as well as back in the village, the skies grew dark and fat with rain heavy clouds from nowhere. One minute it was clear skies, and the next, it was overcast. Then the rain began to fall, in juicy cold drops and thunder cracked so loudly it shook the buildings and rumbled in peoples bellies. Zach's eyes were glowing bright white as this happened, the storm entirely his doing. And electricity had began to spark and crackle around him reminiscent of an anime character getting his first power up. <br/><br/>Finally, a massive bolt of lightning so big it illuminated the sky dropped from the clouds, striking the temple and bypassing everything inside to strike Zach. The bolt coursed through his body, and with his other hand, he aimed down at the jar, funneling all of that power through himself and into the offering. Normally, he possessed nowhere near that amount of power or precision, but this was different. This was to prove something, and he couldn't fail. The process itself took more than a minute, but when it was done, Zach fell to one knee with sweat beading on his face, yet the bottle seemed <em>alive</em> with the entirety of a storm contained in it's small confines. Picking up the bottle, he lowered his head and raised it up. "I am a Demi-God, and I know the importance of that. <br/><br/>I will continue to train and grow stronger until I'm worthy, and I will protect this world until the day I die." While he didn't know what would happen next, he didn't expect the weight of a hand on his shoulder at the same time that the bottle was taken from his grasp. He opened his eyes and gasped in shock when he saw his father standing before him, and not as a statue, but as Zeus. "Rise, my son. And let me look at you." Standing to his full height, for the first time in his life, Zachary looked his father in his eyes and found they were the same. Without warning, Zeus pulled him into a hug that would have been impossible to escape if he tried, but he didn't and instead squeezed the man, causing him to cry out in surprise at the power housed within his sons frame.<br/><br/> "Arrgh, you <em>are</em> strong. Definitely of my blood," the God said with a laugh. Patting Zach on the back a few times, Zeus then looked at the jar that crackled and pulsed with pure lightning inside. "This...this is inspired, and a gift I accept with my whole heart. It pains me that I can't see you, or any of your siblings as much as I want. But despite what people seem to think about me, I cherish every moment with my children. Especially the ones who don't resent me as soon as they discover who I am." <br/><br/>Over the next several minutes, father and son talked and laughed and got to know each other. But then a look of sadness and urgency crossed Zeus' face. "We will meet again my son, but before that time, I sense a great trial ahead for you and the other Blessed. The enemy will soon be knocking at our gates, and it is up to you and your fellows to not only come to our aid, but to save the world. I know you will do me proud. Oh, and tell Akira that great heroes will inevitably have a crisis of faith. She must keep her faith in herself, and know that I have not abandoned her, even though we haven't spoken in some time. I chose her for a reason, and that reason has not changed. Keep the course, keep the faith, and she will rise above her tribulations stronger than ever. She is the leader I chose and I need her to lead you all in these coming dark times. I will speak to her when the time is right, and all shall be revealed." <br/><br/>Zach took in every word the man said, nodding and trying to commit it all to memory. When he was finally done talking, he grasped Zach's shoulder once again, and suddenly he was back in the shrine, gasping like he'd just taken his first breath in hours. "What? How? I'm...I'm back?" At the same time, Akira and Cassandra were still talking, and he appeared from thin air as if he'd actually been somewhere else. Just where had that been though? And he noticed his bottle was gone, which caused a smile to break out across his face. Looking around, he turned, only to come face to face with the two women. "Oh! I thought I was the only one in here. This place is weird, I was just talking to my dad and I was...in the sky? I don't really know what happened but he was there and, and it was crazy." Then all the things Zeus had told him came flooding back and his eyes popped wide. "Miss Akira! I need to talk to you! You'll never believe it!!" <br/><br/></span><br/>