Ben Riely POV
The light from my window shines through causing a groan of annoyance to leave my lips.
"Ben wake up already it's 6:50 almost 7am get ready for school!" the booming voice of Aunt Mary voices calls out.
"Sigh...I guess that whole thing with the Goddess and Spider really must have just been a dream," I murmured through a yawn.
With a grunt I pushed myself off from the floor while tiredly rubbing my eyes, I turned toward the mirror that I use to fix up my hair only to pause in complete shock.
What should have been a normal but slightly built skinny boy was instead replaced with one that could make even professional swimmers jealous.
"Holy moly I've got a four pack...and my arms are a lot more muscular," I said flexing one of my arms making the muscle the bulge a little.
Seeing how my new body made my brown hair and blue eyes stand out more made me let out a confident smile "how you doin~"
A feminine giggle suddenly made me pause and from the corner of the mirror I can see the very same Goddess from my dream sitting on the bed while laughing.
She has one hand politely covering her mouth, shoulders shaking slightly.
"...You men," she says between soft laughs, lowering her hand just enough for me to see the smug curve of her lips, "are astonishingly predictable."
Slightly embarrassed I stopped the posing "hey a guy can admire his own appearance when he wants to. There ain't nothing wrong with that," I argued.
"Ohoho~ Please we both know you were doing more than just admiring," Ereshkigal laughed her red eyes twinkling.
I felt my cheeks heat up slightly "okay, so maybe I was a little showy, but c'mon! It's not everday for a guy to wake up looking like this," I gestured to my toned physique, still in disbelief.
"The better question I should be asking instead is how you're here?" I asked pointing a finger at her.
She blinked owlishly "did you forget since your my champion it means were connected which means I can appear by your side any time I want," Ereshkigal replied with crossed arms.
"Although admittedly I can't always appear for certain reasons. The only reason why I am even able to assume a physical form right now is because I am using a human vessel and astral projection to reach you here," she continued.
"Ben! Hurry up, it's almost 7!" Aunt Mary's voice boomed.
Ereshkigal's expression shifted to one of mild annoyance and disappointment? I couldn't quite tell "right I suppose we will have to talk at a later time Benjamin. I'd rather not take up too much of your time," she muttered her form flickering.
"Wait, don't go I still have those questions that I need to ask you!" I exclaimed, reaching out to her but she was already fading "Ereshkigal!"
"Fear not my champion your questions will be answered but for now, I'll be watching..." her voice trailed off as she vanished completely.
With a sigh I shook my head, trying to process everything that just happened. I quickly put on a baggy blue shirt and a pair of jeans with sneakers before moving downstairs with my backpack in hand.
Aunt Mary was already in the kitchen, making breakfast.
She looked up as I entered "Ben," she greeted with an awkward tension in her voice.
Still ashamed about last night I glanced over at the table where Uncle Rich sat with his morning coffee, newspaper folded neatly beside his mug. He glanced up too, his expression completely unreadable.
I set my bag down by the stairs and stood there for a second.
"...I'm sorry," I managed to mumble out, "for last night. I shouldn't have shouted and I definitely shouldn't have slammed the door like that."
Aunt Mary's expression softened just slightly, though she kept her back partially turned while tending to the eggs on the stove.
Uncle Richard set his mug down "what brought that on?" he asked not unkindly.
"I just..." I exhaled through my nose "I know you're both trying to help me. I know that. I just got frustrated because it felt like nobody was listening to my side of it but I get it. Doesn't matter whose fault it is."
A beat of silence passed.
Aunt Mary turned around fully then, spatula in hand looking at me with those sharp blue eyes of hers that could see straight through a person if she wanted them to.
"I know that I've been pretty hard on you Ben," Aunt Mary began, her voice losing some of its usual sternness "and maybe I don't always stop to hear your side of things the way I should."
That was...not what I expected to hear from her.
She crossed the kitchen and before I could react, she pulled me into a hug which I returned back.
"But I need you to understand that everything I do is because I care about what kind of man you're going to be once you become an adult," she murmured into my hair.
Something in my chest unclenched that I didn't realize had been wound tight all night.
"Yeah," I managed to say, "I know Aunt Mary."
She pulled back holding me by the shoulders and looking me dead in the eyes "and next time you won't slam a door in this house are we clear?"
"...I won't."
"Good," she said firmly before releasing me and turning back to the stove like nothing happened.
Uncle Rich caught my eye from across the table and gave me a small nod, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly.
He picked his mug back up and took a long sip.
I pulled out my chair and sat down.
Breakfast was eggs on toast with grilled tomatoes on the side.
I grabbed my fork and started eating it all up before Uncle Rich and I eventually left the house.
.
.
.
Lunch period had barely ended when it suddenly happened.
I was at my locker pulling out my math textbook when I heard the familiar sound of Flash Thompson and his group making their way down the corridor.
I kept my eyes on my locker.
"Well, well," Flash's voice carried over easy as anything "look who it is. Freak Riley, how've you been?"
A few of his mates sniggered.
I took a slow breath 'don't rise to it Ben be the bigger man. Uncle Rich said so,' I inwardly thought to myself.
"I am doing fine Flash," I said flatly without turning around.
That seemed to annoy him more than if I'd said nothing.
He stepped closer "you ignoring me Riley?"
"Nope," I replied, pulling out my textbook and shutting my locker, "just not particularly interested with you."
A small ripple of laughter went through the group.
Flash moved to block my path, his arms folded as he leaned against the lockers like he owned them "word is you got dragged out of school by your uncle yesterday. Real embarrassing stuff mate."
I looked at him evenly.
There was a time not even twenty-four hours ago, where that comment alone would have had my fist moving before my brain could intervene.
Right now though, as my eyes concentrated on the area below his eyes. I couldn't help but blink once seeing purple colored skin cells covered up by some sort of powdered substance.
It's something that a normal human pair of eyes shouldn't be able to see without a microscope.
However, I only started noticing things like this once I stared at someone or something for too long in my classes. I only assume it has something to do with whatever 'enhancement' Ereshkigal and her Spider bite did to me.
"Yeah," I said with only just a bit of pity, "it was a rough day. Hope yours was better."
I can confirm what Flash was covering were bruise markings that weren't from any of my hits.
Which meant something was going on at his home.
Flash's expression flickered, thrown off just enough that his next line came out louder than he probably intended it "what's your problem? Too scared to say anything back now?"
"No," I replied simply, "just not interested in giving you the reaction you're looking for."
His jaw tightened.
One of his friends let out a low "oooh," and Flash clearly didn't appreciate that.
"You think you're better than me Riley?" he said, voice dropping.
"I think," I said carefully, "that this hallway has at least four teachers within earshot. And I think you've already gotten me in trouble once this week which was your goal right? So congratulations, it worked. I'd rather not hand you a second win."
Another ripple through the group, this one less amused and more uncertain.
Flash stepped forward "you calling me a coward?"
"If that's what you wanna think or assume," I said maintaining my calmness.
That was the moment something in him snapped.
His hand shot out grabbing my shoulder and spinning me roughly back toward the lockers.
The second his hand made contact something lit up in my brain.
Not pain or fear either.
It was like a vibration in the back of my skull, a sudden electric hum that sharpened the entire world down to a single point of focus. Every muscle in my body knew exactly where Flash was standing, the angle of his weight, which foot he was favoring, and where his other hand was moving.
Before his second hand could shove me I sidestepped cleanly letting him stumble slightly forward into the lockers with a dull clang.
The corridor went quiet.
Flash turned around, face red "what the-"
"I didn't touch you," I said clearly, and loud enough for any teacher who may be nearby to hear "and I can't be blamed for what happens next Flash. So I suggest you back the hell off from me."
He ignored my warning and proceeded to come swinging at me.
I ducked under the first swing cleanly and the second caught only air as I stepped inside his reach. My right arm came up instinctively to block the third and I felt the impact travel up through my forearm but there was no real pain to it.
Then something shifted in me again.
Flash grabbed my collar with both hands and wrenched me forward and something in me just reacted.
My right hand came up and caught him square across the jaw with a short sharp jab.
What happened next stopped everything.
Flash left the ground.
He went flying back across the hallway his feet losing contact with the pavement before he hit the ground with a hard thud.
His group mates went completely silent.
I stood there with my fist still raised and my mouth open.
Flash laid on the floor looking genuinely dazed, one hand pressed to his jaw, staring up at me with an expression I had never seen on his face before in all the years he had been making my life difficult.
He looked scared.
"I..." I lowered my hand slowly "Flash I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Are you-"
"Get away from me!" he exclaimed.
His mates helped him up without a word to me and the three of them left quickly, Flash didn't look back once.
I stood in the empty cut behind the sports block for a long moment.
"Well at least no teachers were around this time," I muttered.
I looked down at my right hand and turned it over slowly for inspection.
"Still that was fucking awesome," I laughed closing my locker and headed off for my next class.
-end of chapter three-
Next chapter we'll see Eresh back again and Ben exploring around with his powers. After that the next chapter will cover him going to some fight clubs to earn some money or it might be combined into one chapter depending on certain circumstances.