The first sensation Adonis felt when he awoke was warmth.
It wasn't the warmth of the blankets in his bed or from the hearth, but a deep, gentle warmth that felt embracing, but he didn't know how or why he felt this way. Beneath his skin, he felt like a power was burning somewhere inside his being. It spread slowly through his limbs, dulling the lingering aches in his body.
This must be the blessings of the River Styx, Adonis thought. Then came the faint crackling sound of the fireplace.
Adonis's eyes opened.
The room was dimly lit by the glow of the hearth, and the pale light of the snowy Mar's sky filtering through the crystal window. For a moment he simply stared upward, letting his mind piece things together.
His memory returned in fragments. He remembered the training hall, and sparring with the second son. Jason standing across from him, as he told him to come at him with everything he had.
Adonis remembered activating his Mana Burst. Then right as he was Charging forward. Then all he remembered was darkness. Now he was in bed.
Did Jason egg him on just to bully him? Adonis blinked and turned his head. He saw Helena was sitting beside the bed, one leg crossed over the other, as a book was resting in her hands. Her long black hair fell over one shoulder as she turned a page calmly.
The moment I stirred, her lavender eyes lifted from the page to me.
"Good morning, youngest," Helena said calmly.
I sat up there for a moment, trying to compose myself.
"Morning…?" he muttered.
My ribs felt tender but not broken. My head throbbed faintly, though far less than I expected. I still tried to recall what had happened.
"Is it the next day? I remember sparring with Jason," Adonis said slowly. "I let my mana surge and… then I charged him, but that's it, I don't remember anything else."
Helena closed the book.
"Can you tell me what happened," Adonis finished.
Helena nodded slightly. "Yes I can. What you said so far would be accurate from your point of view."
Adonis frowned. "So what are the parts I'm missing?"
Helena's expression remained neutral.
"You were knocked unconscious," she said simply. "Jason... reacted instinctively. He did not mean to hurt you that much, and do not worry. You will be properly compensated for his failure of self control. Jason said before he departed he will give you a low-grade artifact as compensation, and he will report what happened to the matriarch"
I slightly narrowed my eyes. I knew she was being deliberately vague. But before I could press further, the door opened and Harmonia hurried inside. The moment she saw me sitting up, relief flooded her face.
"My lord! You're awake!" She rushed forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"You had me so worried."
Adonis gave a small smile. It still feels so weird to have someone from this family care about me so much.
"Sorry for worrying you Harmonia. I'm alright now, I promise."
At that moment I felt a soft weight land beside me. Arionna had leapt onto the bed. The small Nemean feline curled beside him, tail flicking once before she settled against his side. I absentmindedly scratched behind her ears, and she purred coolly.
"So Jason is giving me an artifact as compensation?" he asked.
Helena nodded.
"Yes. If you want, you can see it now. One of his warriors delivered it this morning. Atreus and Seris should be done with the inspections of it."
That's right artifacts. Artifacts are the closest physical manifestation's of the gods or miracles humans have. They come in many shapes and sizes, and many covet them especially after the oath was created. Since the gods left the physical realm majority of these artifacts were coveted by the different clans and houses of the pantheons.
Some were sealed away in dungeons and towers behind trials and guardians. These must be earned by completing the trial and having the God acknowledging the challenger.
Those type of artifacts only work for that one person. Once they die that item is returned to where it came from. There are rare chances that the wielder can pass it down to a student or descendant, but that only works if the god approves as well.
Adonis remembered what his teacher taught him about Artifacts. She really pounded that knowledge into his mind, mostly because she said a Artifact is more dangerous then good.
The categories for every type of artifact go in: Weapons. Armor. Accessories. Items. Consumables.
Weapons, armor, and accessories are the self explanatory ones. Swords, spears, even guns. Chain mail or boots, etc. accessories such as rings and necklaces. The range is very large for each of these categories.
Now Items and consumables are a bit special. Item's can range from any everyday item like a spoon or knife, to a book. Uncle Jasen said the lore behind this was, the gods especially the Greek were spontaneous when drunk on whatever they had when making these items. Some of these items are not powerful, but in the right hands can do a lot of damage to the universe.
There is a orb created by Poseidon that can create unlimited amounts of fresh water, but when n the wrong hands it can flood a whole world. Most items found are books, and they hold knowledge of the gods. Some medicine, some magic, a few poisons and plagues.
These are also where the next type of artifacts come from. Consumables. These are potions, elixirs, that are made with the knowledge from those books. To create these one must have the proper ingredients. From magical beasts parts, to a significant knowledge of Thaumaturgy. From alchemy to spiritual ceremonies. Due to some potions by nature, allow a person to gain power close to the god's under the right conditions.
But these types of potions come with a number of drawbacks, but if everything is done correctly one, a regular human can surpass the strongest of demigods. Not at first but within time. And a demigod who take these potions and meet the conditions, can be the closest things to a literal god.
But some have deemed those potions blasphemous. Due to their nature of allowing one to ascend to the heights of a god, and the dark nature connected to them. These views are mostly held by those of the Eden galaxy.
Mind you not all artefacts are connected to gods.
They can also be connected to a myth or a story connected to a certain pantheon or individual. Sometimes a powerful demigod, or mage can leave behind artifacts from their person. These are called numbered artifacts. So far only in the books written, one hundred and sixty nine number artifacts have been recorded. But Jasen only talked about twenty six of them in his books.
Some potions can are capable of healing, enhancing ones physical and magical abilities temporary or permanently. Depending on the grade or quality of the potion.
Hopefully the one I'm getting low grade or not is something useful in the future.
Adonis swung his legs over the bed and stood up. What surprised him immediately was how… normal he felt. He stretched his arms experimentally. No dizziness or signs of weakness from being unconscious for two days.
In fact. He felt energetic. A lot more than he expected after two days in bed. Is that because of the River Styx blessing?
The thought lingered in his mind as they left the room.
They walked through the stone corridors of the Castle.
Snow continued to fall outside the massive crystal windows that lined portions of the fortress. The distant landscape of Mars 2 stretched endlessly, white plains broken by jagged cliffs and towering mountains.
Eventually they stopped before a large wooden door. The Spartan shield and spear insignia was carved deeply into its surface.
This was Atreus and Seris's office.
He had never been inside before. Mostly because he had no reason to go inside. This is where they do majority of their paper work or privately communicate with the Patriarch and Matriarch.
Helena knocked three times, and then opened the door. Inside, the room was impressive.
Weapons lined the stone walls, some medieval in design, others futuristic, and exotic. Several carried glowing runes etched into their blades and hilts. Bookshelves filled with combat manuals and historical texts lined the room.
Two desks stood side by side near the large reinforced crystal viewing window overlooking the snowy plains.
Atreus and Seris stood waiting at parade rest. "Welcome, my lord and lady," Atreus greeted. While Seris gestured toward a box sitting on the nearby coffee table.
"We completed our inspection, Lady Helena," she said. "Nothing unusual detected."
Helena stepped aside.
"Go ahead, Adonis."
Adonis walked forward slowly and opened the box. Inside rested two items. A vial, and a ring. The vial immediately caught his attention.
A crimson red liquid filled the small glass container. Painted along the surface was a simple golden phoenix design.
Adonis froze. He watched as his silver chain did not react to either item. Which meant they weren't cursed. But poison is a different story. But then again if Atreus and Seris inspected them, then he knew he was safe.
But something about the potion felt… off, but not in a bad way.
He lifted it carefully. Helena sighed quietly behind him. "Mother probably forced him to upgrade the artifact after hearing what happened."
Adonis glanced up slightly confused to what she meant. Is she saying this isn't a low grade artifact like he was promised?
Atreus chuckled softly. "You are quite fortunate, my lord."
Atreus pointed at the vial. "That is a Phoenix Potion."
Adonis's eyes widened slightly.
Atreus continued." In stead of the normal low grade version. That is a mid-grade consumable artifact." He nodded toward the liquid. "The deeper the crimson color, the higher the grade. When gold begins to appear in the mixture, that indicates the highest rarity."
Adonis examined the vial. No gold. But the crimson was incredibly deep.
Almost blood-like.
"I've heard rumors of these," Adonis murmured. "You would need Phoenix blood to create one."
Atreus nodded. "Correct."
Adonis looked back at him. "What exactly does it do?"
Atreus folded his arms. "The basic ability of a Phoenix Potion is a second wind of life when one is about to cross the River Styx."
Adonis blinked. "You don't mean?"
Atreus smiled slightly. "Yes resurrection."
Adonis went completely still.
"So I have to drink this when I'm about to die?"
Atreus shook his head. "No. The potion activates only upon death, so it must be consumed before hand, it will lay dormant in your body until that condition is met." Atreus explained. "The lowest grade versions restore just enough vitality to bring someone back to the brink."
He pointed to the vial. "This one is significantly stronger."
Adonis felt excited and yet confused. In his past life potions like this were talked about all around the galaxy. But something like this was extremely hard to get a hold of. So only speculated rumors on the potions abilities were ever given.
"How strong is it?"
Atreus answered calmly. "If estimates are correct… it could restore half of your natural lifeforce, maybe even give you a extra few years. Since it's mid grade, at least two years or more."
The room fell quiet.
Adonis stared at the potion. It would restore half his life… and give him two years or more.
Seris leaned against her desk. " These potions depending on the grade, also grants minor fire resistance and enhances natural healing," she added.
"At the highest grades," Atreus continued, "the potion can resurrect someone and return them stronger than before, and even restore some years to ones lifespan. The most recorded was one hundred years. Nothing compared to the elves, but for a human, demigod or not, that would be a incredible boon."
Adonis swallowed.
So the whispers he heard of Phoenix Potions in his past life weren't even close to the real thing. It's understandable how most people believed they were myths, because no regular person has seen one.
He uncorked the vial. And drank it in a few gulps. Warmth spread through his body immediately. Like a liquid sunlight that filled his body with warm energy.
But after a moment. Nothing else happened.
Atreus nodded knowingly. "Remember the effect activates only upon death. Just don't put yourself a in position to need it. "
Adonis exhaled slowly. "Understood Captain. It's still reassuring to have something like this just in case of the worse thing."
I then a had chilling thought. Adonis glanced at Helena.
"Sister Helena. Have all of our siblings taken these potions?"
Helena shook her head. "No Adonis. Jason only has access to it because of his engagement with a daughter of the leader of the House of Hades. The Hades clan are one of the few houses that can make the Phoenix potion in it's entirety. "
Adonis blinked. That's right in the books Jason Blud was the bridge between the Blud clan and the house of Hades. He was such a powerful swordsman because he was the only person outside the house of Hades to learn the Fangs of Cerberus.
I wish I had asked him about the sword style, and why the books where here in the castle before we started sparring.
I can do that another time. It might also be a good way to meet the house of Hades. They have so many resources, and power, but yet very little is known about.
"So does the Hades clan control them?"
Helena nodded.
" To a certain degree. They hold a near monopoly because they have the resources to recreate the potion more then mages or other houses. And they have the power to fend off anyone who would dare try and take it."
She then crossed her arms. "Even the lowest-grade Phoenix Potion sells for around one hundred Platinum Notes."
Adonis's eyes widened after doing the math. " Wait that's…!"
"At least one thousand Platinum Points," Helena finished. She then pointed at the vial Adonis had already consumed.
"That one would sell for around ten thousand Platinum Notes or one hundred thousand Platinum Points. And the highest grade goes for one hundred thousand Platinum Notes, or One million Platinum Points. "
Adonis nearly choked. That's enough to buy a whole planet.
Seris stepped forward. " Young Lord. It be better if you kept it secret about taking the potion." She leaned forward slightly with a mischievous smile. "Otherwise someone might decide to kidnap you to extract your blood to recreate the potion."
Adonis frowned.
Seris continued casually. "You'd become a blood bag for the rest of your life. And when you die and get revived by the potion, they'd drain you completely, since that is when the potions effects will be the strongest and the best for recreating the near same quality of potion."
Adonis nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind." I was gonna keep it a secret regardless. I remember how when certain groups, or individuals wanted information on a artefact, they will stop at nothing to get it.
I've seen people lose whole families, cities, even a whole planet was burned down just to get information on a low grade artefact.
Adonis then looked down at the second item. A ebony ring.
"What about this?"
Helena lifted a silver chain around her neck, revealing a similar ring attached to it.
" It's a Storage ring."
Adonis blinked. If I remembered correctly this is the massed produced poor mans version of a mages bag of holding. Which at minimum can carry three thousand pounds to a max of four thousand pounds.
Back in the day the max use to be five hundred pounds, then innovation in the magical community, caused that weight limit to no longer exist, even as a default.
"It can hold roughly fifteen hundred pounds worth of items." Helena said
Adonis's eyes widened slightly.
"It also has a preservation enchantment," Helena continued. "Food, corpses, plants, monster parts—they remain perfectly preserved inside. But no living beings can be put into it."
Adonis nodded thoughtfully. "That explains a lot."
He slipped the ring onto his enchanted silver chain.
Helena watched him for a moment. Then she knelt slightly to meet his eyes.
"Well, youngest. Now that you're awake, and received your compensation. I will be returning to Father's side."
Adonis nodded. " I understand. Thank you for staying with me Helena."
Helena smiled faintly. "Take care of her." She said gesturing toward Arionna who she rubbed .
The Nemean feline purred sleepily.
Then Helena did something unexpected. She leaned forward and hugged him briefly. Adonis froze before embracing her back for a brief moment. Then Helena stepped back and walked toward the door.
Moments later she was gone. Adonis watched as the door close.
Then turned toward Atreus and Seris. "Well Captains." He stretched his arms. "I'm ready to get back to training,."
Seris grinned widely. "Oh good, because you missed two days worth of training." She said as she cracked her knuckles.
"I'm going to whip you back into shape young Lord."
Adonis nodded. "Yes, Captain."
Arionna flicked her tail as she watched Adonis.