Chapter Schmuck

Conformity is Schmuck's curse. He is on the wrong side of the war. Imagine living in a society that lives by a philosophy that you don't have faith in. That can't end well.

Grover essentially kidnaps Schmuck to bring him to his place of refuge, his place of hiding. An abandoned warehouse is pretty generic, but the abundance of them makes it perfect. He explains who he is, but not where he came from. Grover mentions Schmuck's grandfather Ares Gordon and "The Ability" briefly, but does not offer any hints on using it. He put's Schmuck under again, and when he awakes he is in his school parking lot, sleeping in the back seat of his vehicle.

The next day Grover instructs Schmuck to take him to the warehouse again. There he explains his intents and "the ability" further. Grover insists that 3 months of physical training is essential. After peak physical training has been achieved, 3 more months of mind strengthening will also be required. Only then will Schmuck be ready to use his ability, his gift.

6 months

The ability is controlled by emotions, as one might suspect. Any emotion that is focused enough will allow the mutation to happen. Grover cautions the use of anger. While it may be stronger, controlling it is quite difficult. He explains that he knows this because of his association with Ares, which is true.
"That's all it is? Why couldn't you have told me this before?"
Schmuck attempts to use the ability but fails.

Grover laughs