The Edge of Dimensions chapter 1
A/N Sorry. Just could not keep this idea down any more. This... Will include scenes and characters from other fandoms, think of this as a huge crossover. So, this story takes place in the current location of CHB, 'bout 300-400 years before canon, but same characters as in the books. For the purposes of this story, Artemis has not yet taken her maiden oath. Got it? Great! And here! We! Go!
300-400 years ago, around the place that is now known as New York...
Life was good, no matter who you were. This was the reign of High King Perseus, and it was like a golden age was occurring. Harvests were plentiful, people were healthy, and the kingdom was at peace. This king had the wholehearted support of the people,
who all loved him. The king loved to associate with the commoners, so he hunted beside them, tilled the fields beside them, and fought beside them. He did not even have a castle, claiming the money to build one could be put to better use.
This particular kingdom was of immense interest to an outside observer, seeing as how it was the one chargedwith the honor of protecting Camp Half-Blood, home of the children of the gods. However, if someone could see the undercurrents of
tension that surrounded the house of King Perseus, it would have been a different tale. You see, the king was close with a number of people, none more so than his best friend, a girl named Annabeth.
There was no romantic attachment between them, at least,not yet. The king had, for better or worse, attracted the attention of Artemis, goddess of the moon and leader of the was everything a man should be, with none of the faults
that she expected. He was the first that she was interested in possibly being a romantic partner to, even though he was a son of Poseidon himself. He only had eyes for Annabeth though, no matter the overtures the silver eyed goddess
one time she had invited him on a hunt, he had distinguished himself, beforeexcusinghimself and leavingas soon as possible.
This state of affairshad gone on for several years now, and he was constantly rebuffing Artemis for her advances on him. Things finally came to a head this one particular night. The hunters saw the whole situation as Artemis not being good enough
for this man, and had been incensed. The only reason they had done nothing rash yet was because Artemis was always there, and so they bided their time. But this fateful night, Artemis had left to an Olympic council, and would not be back for some
time, a minimum of the night, and possible more.
Now that she was gone, the last of the shackles on their self restraint broke, and they devised a plan to free up Perseus for their mistress. The plot went something like this, they would leave a note, forged of course, saying that Athena wanted to meet
with her outside the city. Annabeth was extremely clever for a mortal, and had a dream her entire life to meet Athena, this was a well-known fact. She always prayed to Athena, and Athena alone, and sacrificed large amounts of items to said goddess.
It was not unknown for a god or goddessto even adopt a mortal who was dear to their hearts. Naturally, this was sure to catch her attention.
After she had left for the meeting, leaving a note for Perseus, he showed up to spend time with her not too long after. He saw the note and read it and went white. He, unlike her, knew that all the gods were having a meeting, and this was forged. He ran
as fast as he could to the meeting place specified. As he neared the hill by the ocean, he could see flashes of silver on the hilltop. He burst over the crest of the hill, feet pumping, breathing hard, with his sword drawn. But it was too late. As
he watched, they landed the final blow, and Annabeth was dead. He let out a howl of rage, so strong and full of grief, that is shook even Mount gods stopped their meeting and wondered what this could mean. Perseus called upon the
power of the waters, and had it drag all the hunters to the waters edge. He forced them to kneel in the ocean, and one by one, ever so slowly and tortuously, killed them, taking his time. The desperate prayers of her hunters finally reached Artemis,
and she got there as soon as she could. Yet she was too late in her turn. She arrived just in time to see Percy run his blade across the throat of her lieutenant, who had been the ringleader, killing her. She let out a muffled sob as she saw the bodies,
dozens of them, laying in the sand. She quickly scanned the scene and realized what must have happened. She too went white with horror and understanding, and flashed away. Percy finally awoke from his blood rage and looked around at the devastation
he had wrought. Something broke inside him that night, something shattered that is essential to all, no matter their position in life. His heart began to break. He fled the scene and ran up the hill, and slid on his knees next to Annabeth's body.
He hugged her, covered in blood as she was, to his chest, hoping that somehow, someway her heart would begin to beat again. It was futile, and he knew it. Slowly, he forced himself to dig a grave for her using his bare hands.
After he was done, and put golden drachmas over her eyes, he stood up, wiped his tears away, and headed for the harbor. He despised himself, and he thought the people around him would hate him for what occurred. He could never afford to be around others
again, he was too dangerous for them. If Artemis decided to punish him, he would not have innocents harmed by his actions. He planned to take a prototype ship, called the Argo I, which had been worked on by the best blacksmiths and builders in the
known world. Which, looking at a map, would be revealed to be rather small. But that is beside the point. This particular ship was loaded with all kinds of gadgets, and was made so that one person, if necessary, could control the ship. This made it
perfect for his needs. As soon as he left, he needed to change his clothes. He hardly looked the part of the king now, what with haunted face, wet and muddy clothes, a blood stained sword, and bleeding and cracked fingernails. He strode to the wheel
and began to prepare to leave. "Oy, le capitan." Someone called out, sliding down the mast. Another figure seemed to slink out of the shadows, shaking his head.
"Gods Leo, that was a really poor imitation of french you know." Nico said with a smile. He wheeled on Perseus. "We saw what happened. We understand, don't worry, it wasn't your fault. I would have done the same in your place. You seriously need to change
your clothes man. And did you seriously think you were going to sneak away and leave the two of us behind?"
Percy chuckled despite himself. "I guess I was foolish for even thinking I could. But right now, I need to leave."
Leo walked up and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Well, we are coming too. Don't argue, it is all decided. The ship is ready to go. The helm awaits you. Let us head for the garden of the Hesperids first, for the golden apples. After that... We can
do whatever we want! I can feel it now. This escapade is the beginning of a beautiful adventure!"