You always did enjoy camping. Pretty much every weekend the weather allowed that you could get away with. Closely behind that was your love of music, a guitar practically part of your standard carrying gear. Not to mention the absolute love you seem to have for casual sex. You easily were the first of your friends to lose your virginity and easily the one of your friends with the longest list of sexual partners. Just something about you that women dig, what can you say?
The backpacking across Europe trip was something that you always felt you had to do. You went to college, sure- just ended up with a degree in Biology then went out into the world. After graduating though, you mother was glad enough to help you find yourself. She jokingly asked a favor of you to find your father, you said you'd give it a try in jest.
You mother was an archaeologist. A good one too. Among her achievements was that she found a Temple to the Greek God Pan in northern Greece, completely grown over by vegetation. In the academic world, that made her reputation forever. In her private life she remembers that trip for a different reason. She slept with the handsome local guide multiple times, which as a result you were conceived though she didn't find out until long after she went back home. She didn't tell you this until she thought you could handle it, naturally. Sometimes you wonder what your father was like. Your mother says you're a lot like him in many ways, especially your musical skill, your looks, and your luck with women. You'll take her word on it.
You backpacking trip took you to Greece. Maybe you were looking for your father after all. On a lark, you head to the Temple of Pan your mother discovered and apparently were conceived on the alter. A joke for your later years no doubt. It's when you made your camp for the night when it happened.
You're not sure when he got there, but alone with only a campfire for light on a dark new-moon night suddenly someone else was with you. About the time you noticed that all signs of the modern world, like the road to the temple and the signs, were gone was the time you noticed that the strange man had horns and goat-legs.
He smiles at you, wide and beaming as he holds out a wineskin. Taking a drink, the wine inside is heavy and spicy, excellent for drinking.
"Is this a dream?"
"After a fashion, but you aren't asleep if that's what you're thinking."
"And you're supposed to be Pan I take it."
"The one and only. Been wondering if I'd get a chance to talk to you."
"A God, wants to talk to me?"
"Well, yes- but that's not why I wanted to talk to you. Tell me, has your mother ever said anything about your father?"
"Yeah, she hired the services of a local guide to find this place and ended up sleeping with him a couple times. Wish I knew him, but nobody's ever tracked the guy down after that."
"Well, now someone has."
". . .You're my father?"
Pan taps his nose, you got it right on the money. You have to admit, something deep down knows it's true- somehow.
"The Gods of old sort of came to an agreement about two thousand years ago to, for the most part, leave the mortal world alone. Between that and the rise of Science we don't have quite the pull we used too. Some of us have enough influence to leave around Demigods to act as our agents but most of us are just considering this retirement."
"Like what you did with my Mother."
"Not on purpose, sorry about that. Truth be told, I just saw a beautiful woman entering my temple and had some of my old Divine Glory saved up, so I used it to manifest so I could get into your mother's pants. I thought that we had to purposely will to make a demigod but apparently since I'm a male fertility God I'm sort of an exception."
"That's just. . .what? So, do I have brothers and sisters?"
"More like cousins. I fathered you on accident, but other gods do this sort of thing on purpose often. Regularly actually. And between your demigod lifespan and powers that should be kicking in now I'm afraid you're going to be involved in a struggle that's gone on for centuries. Some want the old gods to be worshiped again, some want to rule the world, others want freedom- whatever the case you're in the middle now. Well, you were going to be in the middle eventually anyway. At least now you're warned."
Well, all told you're taking this rather well. The Son of a God, eh?
"So, powers?"
"Hard to kill, you'll live a long time, then the rest come from me. Nature, Fertility, Passion, Music- you're not a full fledged God but these things are going to be in your corner now. Quick word of warning, the last time I left a male demigod, every woman he slept with from that day on got pregnant and there was a LOT- but that was centuries ago, mortal Science may of improved enough that not EVERY women you mate with will have a child, but. . ."
"I get the picture. Any tips for this. . .demigod political thing?"
"Yeah, keep your head down. Good luck, son."
And with that he disappears while the modern world re-asserts itself. Oh boy, this could get weird. |