Power of Olympus
This is the new revised edition of Percy Jackson, The New Olympian. I didn't really like the way it was going, but it is still a pertemis story.
The throne room of Olympus, redesigned and more regal than ever, was filled on this day. The gods of Olympus, as well as Hestia and Hades, sat upon great thrones before eight of the nine demigods that saved their rule. First, Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, champion of Hera, Toppler of the Black Throne, assigned Pontifex of the two camps. His gift from the gods was immortality, becoming a minor god of worship and honor. The next of the heroes was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, designer of Olympus, who was given the same gift of godhood, becoming the goddess of architecture. The next demigod, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, was given the godhood of battle and bloodlust. His girlfriend, Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, user of the Mist, rider of Arion, was given the same, as the goddess of gold. Soon Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite, wielder of Katoptris, was given godhood, becoming the goddess of beauty and emotion. The next to achieve godhood was Reyna Avila Ramírez Arellano, daughter of Bellona, returner of the Athena Paarthurnax, who became the goddess of courage and advisor to Rome. The son of Hades, Ambassador of Pluto and self renowned Ghost King, Nico Di angelo became the god of shadow and retribution.
The final person of the group to be called was thought to be the greatest hero of the century, and arguably all of mortal history. He was the retriever of Zeus' Master Bolt, Retriever of the Golden Fleece, Bearer of the Sky, Navigator of the Labyrinth of Daedalus, Bane of Kronos and Hyperion, Slayer of the Nemean Lion along with many other monsters, and so many other titles fitting for the son of Poseidon. Perseus Jackson's name reverberated through the throne room of Olympus, bated breath for what he would choose. Immortality, or would he reject this offer once more for the betterment of demigods?
Percy walked the shores of Camp Halfblood, his emotions just one jumbled mess. The sea was violent on this night, whether it be him or his father, he had no idea. His face was wet with tears as he let his emotions take him to another existence. The sky was dark with storm clouds, thunder shaking the ground every so often. The vibration in Percy's chest felt welcoming, anything that could numb the pain. Anything to get them all off his mind. Just for once, let him live his life without the sacrifice.
He returned to the real world standing before the central green, hearth burning bright like a beacon in the darkness of the moonlit night. Sitting in the grass, Percy stared blankly at the fluttering flames with hollow eyes. He felt his aunt Hestia's presence beside him, but he sat silent as she wrapped a warm arm around him. She comforted him more than any other would at the moment, or for a long time after that. She finally spoke after many minutes of sitting. "You give hope to others, at the cost of losing your own, nephew. That is the path of all heroes in the end. You have given all you have, but come up short in your own life. Lie here for a moment, release your sorrows by the hearth." Perseus began breathing calmly once again, and tried to release his emotions even a little, but when he tried, nothing escaped.
"I am sorry aunt Hestia, but I can't right now. I just need some time alone." His voice tapered at a whisper, never changing in tone as he rose and walked aimlessly away. He looked up at the dark sky as Zoe made her journey, chasing after the bear Ursa Major. He stared up, mesmerized as he followed the constellations farther towards the camp borders.
He tripped over a fallen tree and landed face first into the dirt. He exhaled a deep breath as he lifted himself off the ground and leaned against a nearby tree. He closed his eyes as he relished in the solitude. This is what he needed most of all for a while. If only he could do so. Escape the life of a demigod for a while, settle down with Annabeth and start a family.
He felt his silence impeded on. He hear the crunching of twigs and dead leaves before he smelled the perfume. That smelled like Annabeth's that he had given her when they travelled through Europe on the Argo II. That wasn't likely, Annabeth was back on Olympus, redesigning with help of her mother Athena. She would have told him if she were here.
He also smelled the smell of his brother Joey, a soft sea breeze smell that sons of Poseidon tend to smell like. Joey was a nice guy, though a bit arrogant sometimes. Percy thought they had got along well enough.
He heard Annabeth's laughter. Maybe she came to surprise him, and they were just looking to see where he was. He lifted himself up as he almost silently tramped among the straight boughed trees. He saw the two before they saw him, and he almost wish he hadn't. Annabeth laid with him by a small stream, cradled softly in his arms as she kissed him. He could tell she enjoyed it so much more than with him.
He wouldn't be rude to them any longer than he should have and made his appearance clear. He stepped into their view, shocking them into scrambling away from each other. They both showed guilt upon their faces. Annabeth stuttered, "P-Percy…"
Percy hardened his composure as he asked, "Why, Annabeth? Can you just tell me that?" He was calm as he asked it, betraying his inner turmoil. She sat silently for a moment, tears welling up in her grey eyes. "I… I haven't felt this happy since I saw you for the first time again after you had been missing. Everything just felt so different. You felt so different. Your personality, your fighting, even your joking. I just… didn't feel what I should have. I didn't mean for all this to happen, just everything happened so fast… I couldn't think of a way to confess to you." Percy looked over to Joey, who dipped his head down in shame.
Percy felt so strange. Almost as if this was nothing compared to what he had already done. By the time he had walked away he hadn't said another word. He almost escaped the scene until he heard her quiet, desperate whisper. "Seaweed Brain…"
He turned around. "Please don't call me that Annabeth. Not right now." With that he turned away, numbly walking into his cabin, collapsing on his bed. He heard Joey quietly walk in and lay in his bed, before drowsiness took Percy into a deep sleep.
Percy's thoughts returned to the throne room of Olympus, focusing on Zeus' impatient face. "I will accept godhood, if you give Hestia and Hades thrones on Olympus."
Zeus looked angered and confused at the same time for a moment before calming himself. "Why do you want these things Jackson? What motivations could you have to want more gods on the Olympian Council?"
Percy looked stoic as he replied, "I believe that they have earned that honor. Hades did support us in defending Olympus from Kronos' army in the Titan war, and Hestia still protects the spirit of Hope today. Have they not done enough to earn this honor?"
"I… I suppose so Jackson. Very well, Hestia and Hades will have thrones, and you will become an Olympian." Zeus waves his hand as two monstrous thrones rose from the marble floors. On the male side, the throne was made of bones and embedded with jewels of all shapes and sizes. A shadow looked over it like a raven over a dying man.
On the female side, a throne of fire and stone appeared. The fire was not harsh, but warm and enticing, and the stone was smooth and showed no harmful intentions. Light encompassed it like a firefly on a starry summer night, wafting the smell of a home cooked meal and campfire smoke through the throne room.
The rest of the demigods were sent away with praises and gratitude, leaving only Percy and the 14 gods of Olympus. Zeus looked at each god, and then to Percy,and spoke in ancient tongue. "Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, savior of Olympus, and hero to gods. I, Lord Zeus, proclaimed king of the Universe declare you as a god of the Olympian council, immortal to the tests of time and now bound by the Ancient laws given to us by Chaos. I command your blood burn away, to be turned to blood of ours, and be given authority by the Fates, spinners of the thread of Ananke, may their will be done on this day."
Percy felt unbelievable pain as his insides began to burn. He fell to his knees as his veins turned golden before his eyes. Pain began to numb as his blood became ichor. He felt Thanatos retreat from his back forever, another soul he couldn't retrieve. When the process was done, Percy stood up, and noticed that he was taller, he felt so much stronger now, like he could lift the sky again and not feel tired. He looked up to Zeus, to be met by the Fates themselves. He was no longer in the throne room, but in a much smaller hall. It resembled an old Nordic hall, with tapestries depicting death by all manners, except for one. One of the tapestries hung over a throne made of light. The tapestry looked only half finished, but Percy could still depict a man's face. The man had a beard made of the night sky, and his hair was long and curled and black as oil. His tan face resembled an old field plowed weeks before. His eyes shined like miniature suns under lidded eyelids like the dawn. The Fates stood there in unison, holding a golden thread in their hands. They walked over to the golden tapestry, slowly weaving as they began to speak;
"Along the seas of time you sail
In the north, cold and pale
You hold the key to the earth and winter snow
Whichever way the water flow
The wolves are yours and so are you
As loyalty holds you dear like so few
But you are not like others who lust
Like time you come and turn to dust
What made you great, legend that defy fate
Keeps you lonely and and full of hate."
The Fates fell silent as they weaved the last of the thread into the tapestry. Percy felt himself return to the other gods. Who sat as if he were there the whole time. Zeus looked at him in question, as well as Athena and Poseidon. Percy looked at each of them, and silence filled the room for a moment. His presence made the room almost frost over, literally and figuratively. His very presence was awe inspiring to some of the gods, as their breaths became white puffs into the air. Zeus stared at him with his stormy blue eyes filled with nervousness.
"So what have the Fates spoken?" His anxiety creeped in his voice.
Percy's voice was unlike his own. It was deep and rich and sorrowful as he spoke every word of the Fates' rhymes. The gods stared at him as he uttered the last word. "This is a very large incident, Perseus. Your godhood could mean unimaginable things." Zeus fingered his master bolt nervously. Sparks released from his finger tips as the rest of the gods showed the same tension that their king shared. A layer of ice began forming on the marble columns, giving off a haze of smoky condensation. Athena's gaze showed no fear, not one bit. Simply interest in the fact that Percy was now Perseus, an immortal god whose power could rival the Big Three combined.
"Is that all that you have need of me, Zeus? I believe I should get to my duties as soon as possible." Perseus' voice had a demanding respect to it, like he was so much older than he was before. He took their silence as confirmation, and exited the throne room of Olympus a completely different person.
The throne room returned to its usual pleasant temperature, but the silence reigned for a long time. Eventually Apollo left this sounded atmosphere behind by playing his lyre out of boredom.
"You're as cold as ice, You're willing to sacrifice our-"
"Shut it Apollo!" Zeus rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Why are so insistent on making noise when we are obviously trying to think?"
"I'm sorry I'm just trying to clear tension here. It's not easy to be the god of music and just sit here in silence while you worry about things," Apollo whined. "It's not like you were asking me, the god of prophecy to tell you anything!"
Zeus looked at his son for a moment, realization hitting him. "Then tell me son, what do the Fates mean in Perseus' godhood prophesy?" The rest of the gods, especially Athena and Poseidon, looked at Apollo as they leaned forward in their seats to listen. Apollo began to regret opening his mouth, but began to explain anyway, tearing apart each line for clarity.
"So, the first line; Along the seas of time you sail. This means that two of his sources of power are time and sailing. It's kind of obvious where he got those from, being the son of Poseidon who slew Kronos."
"The next line; In the north cold and pale. Based on his effect on the room, I'd say that he controls cold, and his greatest places of power are in the north, even in Alaska, where we are powerless, he is at his best."
"So you're saying we would be powerless to him if his loyalties are questioned?" Athena's voice echoed through the room like an unwanted but necessary noise in a library.
Apollo was silent for a moment, before responding "Hypothetically, yes, but I seriously doubt that would happen. Did you not say it yourself Athena that Percy would let the world be destroyed before letting someone he cared for die?"
"What makes you think he cares for us?"
"Maybe he doesn't care for you or your daughter anymore, but he does still care for his friends, and his mortal family. So I believe we should be fine as long as we don't mess up enough to threaten him with the safety of those people, we should be fine. Now, onto the next line; you hold the key to the earth and winter snow. Since he defeated Gaea singlehanded, earth had to have someone to maintain it, and the person who emptied the position is the best candidate. He also seems to control the cold and the water, obviously, so why not snow and ice?"
"The next line; Whichever way the water flow. This sounds like rivers and running water in general, but just saying."
"Man, so many rhyming lines, it gets tiring being our saving grace with prophecies. Another line; the wolves are yours, and so are you. Of course this means his sacred animal is the wolf, and I couldn't tell you what the second part means." Apollo yawned. "Man, this explaining is getting tiring, I don't know how you do it Athena."
"Just quit complaining and get this over with Apollo." Artemis commanded.
"Fine fine, gods you're so demanding. So… what line is this?"
"Line six, Apollo, it doesn't really matter, just say it!" Zeus exasperated."
"Okay, okay," Apollo muttered, "like father like daughter… anyway; as loyalty holds you dear like so few. This is a very simple meaning, since Percy has always been very loyal.
"But you are not like others who lust. Meaning, unlike a majority of us here, Percy isn't gonna have too many children with mortals, and probably not too many gods either." Aphrodite pouted, knowing she could not pair Perseus with someone new so soon.
"Like time you come and turn to dust. I honestly don't know much about this one, other than the fact that he controls time, so don't ask any questions here."
"What made you great, legend that defy fate. Obviously this refers to Percy's being able to succeed even when fate tells him to otherwise. This might cause some problems though, if keeps you lonely and full of hate, says anything. Well, I'm tired here, so I'm going to go take a nap then jam to some awesome new songs, later!" Apollo disappeared before anyone could stop him. The gods mulled over Apollo's words as silence once again overtook the throne room.
"Why can't my brother be more mature?" Mumbled Artemis as she flashed off to check on her hunters. Soon the rest of the council joined her, until only the big three remained. Hades looked intrigued, Poseidon looked proud, while Zeus looked scared above everything else.
"This prophecy is disturbing. Perseus is a new god, and his power is showing to be aggressive. Even Hercules power wasn't as aggressive when he became one of us."
"Correct," Hades began, "but Perseus defeated Kronos and Gaea, so it is expected for him to have more power than Hercules."
"It doesn't matter anyway, brother, my son is loyal, and he is a proud son of Poseidon. For once one of my children achieves a spot on the council." Poseidon's smile shone with nothing but admiration for his son.
"Still, we must stay prepared for anything. We do not want a repeat on these last few years brothers." Zeus warned. The other two agreed, before going on their separate ways.
New York was cold that day. Leaves were just beginning to fall in Central Park, bringing a sense of beauty and timelessness to the urban concrete and black asphalt of the nearby streets. The lake was just beginning to freeze over as Percy Jackson walked along the old walking trail, dilly dallying, trying to put off his next action. He was to go see his mother after a long time, since he had disappeared almost a year ago. He walked calmly around the pond, before finally working up the courage to just break it to his mother that he was a god.
He casually walked the sidewalks, thinking of ways to tell her. Could he simply knock on the door and say 'hey mom, I'm an immortal god now, isn't that amazing? By the way, sorry for worrying you by just disappearing!'
For some reason that's how he did it, and he regretted it as his mother slapped him, before hugging him tightly, crying into his shoulder. He hugged her just as tight, closing his eyes as he enjoyed his mother's embrace. They parted, walking into the apartment as the smell of blue cookie came to his nose. Those cookies were the things he missed almost as much as his mother.
He sat down on the couch, relaxing as his mother joined him. He explained everything for the next few hours, telling her what he was doing when he disappeared, of the whole other camp on the other side of the country, of their journey across the world, the awakening of Gaea. He left out Annabeth, so as not to cause complications to his mother's and Annabeth's relationship as the daughter she never had. Sally listened intently, as Percy described the wonders of Europe, but was shocked as Percy recalled their trip through Tartarus. Percy almost began to tear up at that point as he mentioned the friendly titan and the giant Iapetus and Damesan.
After about two hours he had finally finished his journey, where he had made it in that apartment. Sally was silent for a moment, soaking it in, that her baby was a god, like his father.
"So… how is Annabeth?" Percy internally cursed as she mentioned who he didn't want to talk about the most. He sighed for a moment, before replying as vaguely as possible, "She didn't want to be in my life anymore mom."
Sally stared at him like he had lost his mind. "How? You two had been through so much, I thought… I'm so sorry sweetheart." Percy waved it off, feeling his eyes tear up for a moment. "It's how it is mom. I'll be fine soon, I promise." Thunder shook the walls of the apartment, and Percy added, "Well, it looks like I need to be off mom. Zeus gets impatient when gods visit with their mortal family."
"Just be safe, Percy. I love you so much."
"I love you too mom, and don't worry about me, I'm a god, remember?" He smiled his crooked smile that had always gotten him out of trouble, before walking out onto the fire escape and disappearing in the cold breeze.
Not many people saw Perseus after that. He isolated himself in Alaska, where the gods could not go or even watch. The only way anyone knew how Perseus was would be the council meetings he would go to every once in a long time. Many worried for him, while others couldn't care less. Perseus decided to create a band of warriors called the Winter Crusaders. No one had made contact as of yet, although Artemis had been ordered for she and her hunt to track them down and witness their capabilities, which led Thalia to this point and time where her face was frozen, her feet were numb, and her hands felt like they couldn't function.
Artemis had led the hunt through the mountains into Canada, pushing through the gnawing cold and aching feet of her huntresses to try and find some kind of clue to the winter crusaders' existence. At this point the hunt thought she had gone mad, as she blindly grasped at the slightest clues that made no sense, such as an empty soda can or snapped twig. "They went this way, I can tell!" Exclaimed a delirious Artemis. Thalia looked to Phoebe the way she had been since the trip had started. Phoebe muttered under her breath, "I believe milady is getting hypothermia if that is possible."
You're right phoebe, missing their trail is impossible! We are the hunt, surely they believe us to be better trackers than this. These are rookie mistakes if you ask m
e. Then again, it is a male that runs this group, what did I expect!?" She traipsed on through the snow covered underbrush, followed by her steadily tiring hunters.
They finally stopped in a clearing to rest, after Thalia had convinced lady Artemis to stop for an hour or two to keep warm. In about ten minutes, there were several fires going with wet clothes steaming over them. Thalia sat by her fire near the center of camp, silently pondering over her cousin. How was Percy? Where was he? What way would she beat him when she saw him?
She felt a cold hand touch her bare neck, causing her quick reflexes to grab the person's wrist. She turned to see Annabeth's grey eyes. She felt comfort as she released her grip. Annabeth smiled before grimacing and looking around.
"What are you doing here Annabeth?" Thalia asked, pleasantly surprised that her friend was here. Thalia became worried as Annabeth continued to look around her, like she usually did when she would hear Percy was on Olympus.
"I cannot stay long, Thalia. I'm here to warn you, leave now, before it's too late. You are too far north for Artemis to be at her best."
"What do you mean? Slow down, Annabeth, make some sense."
"You are in British Columbia, Thalia. You and the hunt are in enemy territory, and Artemis is nowhere near able to fight a god of his caliber."
"Percy is not an enemy Annabeth. We're here to better understand his group and confirm their loyalties."
"Think, Thals. Percy isn't the same mortal man we cared for." Thalia almost spit at her feet. "You did break his heart Annabeth. How is Joey, anyhow?"
"Joey isn't a part of this Thals. Mom thinks he's planning something. He hasn't come to the last three winter solstices, he goes and forms this band of warriors, he even builds his palace in Alaska, where no other god can go. This basically screams plotting, even treason."
"Are you serious here!?" Thalia exclaimed. "Percy is literally the god of loyalty, and you're the one who cheated on him in the first place, and now you have some kind of right to be suspicious?"
"What me and Percy had doesn't matter! How you think I should have handled the situation isn't what happened, so just stop bringing it up. After seven years I'd hoped you'd get over what happened, but it seems the Hunt has made you hold grudges easier. Goodbye Thalia, I'll see you on Olympus." With that her image disappeared, leaving Thalia sitting at the fire, shivering silently.
It took about two hours, but Thalia had finally gotten a semblance of warmth, and inspected Artemis' condition. She was more sane now, forming complete sentences that made sense. "Where are we, lieutenant?" She shakily asked. She rubbed her temples as if her brain had been frozen as well.
"We're in British Columbia, milady. All has been quiet so far, but I've got word from Olympus that we must leave as soon as possible."
Artemis nodded consent. "Yes, we must. I do not know why I even led us here. I don't even remember why I'm here." Thalia looked at Artemis strangely. Artemis did seem unlike herself, far too enthusiastic on the trail. Now she didn't even remember why she was here. Thalia could sense something was off, and the faster they got off this mountain, the better.
Thalia commanded the hunt to begin packing, and within minutes they were south bound, pacing themselves as fast as they could through the firs and snow banks. Thalia kept feeling that feeling that they were surrounded multiple times. They had been walking through wooded area for an hour now, before Thalia finally gave into the feeling and stopped. With her the rest of the hunt stopped, causing multiple questions to rise among them. They had their bows out scanning the tree tops and underbrush.
Suddenly large wolf like beasts burst from everywhere, rushing towards them at unnatural speeds. Many of the hunters let loose many arrows, but in vain as they simply ricocheted off of their hides. These beasts were the size of two hunters, and batted a few of them easily as they made their way towards Thalia and Artemis. What was left of them had formed a loose circle around their leadership, trying their best to fight off against the unknown monsters.
As Thalia was about to be cut into pieces, the monster froze in some kind of shock. It fell to its side in the snow, a primitive looking arrow in its back. Soon more of the beasts fell to the same arrows, as armored figures wielding similarly aged weapons ran into battle silently. Soon there were very few beasts left, and they began to retreat. Five more figures chased after their foes.
The hooded figures that remained surrounded the hunt, causing the hunters to draw their bows once more. There may have been many dead or heavily injured, but they wouldn't go down to this unknown group. One man in the unknown group chuckled, his spear putting off curling frost. A young woman elbowed him and silently scolded him, causing him to laugh more quietly. He then spoke loudly, "Why so serious, little prey? Feeling undermined when the tables are turned? A man cornering ladies of the hunt, that's the beginning of a great joke. Hey, Moon beam," he nudged a tall figure who remained silent, "Two hunters walk in a bar. One says-" he stops as the woman elbowed him in the gut once more.
"I apologize, Ladies of Artemis for my brother's standoffish nature. He isn't too fond of many of Olympus' allies. We are here to retrieve you and take you to our lord as guests. I assure you, no harm shall come to you. In fact we have healers to help your injured if you'll allow us to-"
"Who is your master?" Artemis interrupted.
"I am not permitted to say at this point, my lady. Although you will know him in time if you allow us to transport you." Artemis pondered over her options for a moment. "Can you swear upon the Styx that none of my hunters will be harmed?"
"Of course. In my master's name I swear on the Styx that while in transport to him, no harm will come to your hunters by us." A clap of thunder blasted through the sky. Artemis nodded her consent, and the woman waved towards the injured, causing several more hooded figures to come forward and begin tending to those that had the most severe injuries. Others began setting up a camp of sorts, large tents that when inside were the size of long houses. Large hearths sat in the center, blasting heat throughout and roasting unknown animals on spicks.
The hunters that were uninjured or were not severe enough for the healers stayed in the corner of the room, avoiding all contact with the unknown men and women. Thalia accompanied the healers as they tried to heal her sisters in arms. The woman had also joined them and began assisting any of the people that asked for suggestions. She would hand them some kind of poultice or some other strange remedy, before moving on to the next person. Her dark hands were quick and precise as she reproduced the same substance, like she had done this many times before.
Eventually the hunters that could be saved had been healed, and the dead had been given proper burial rites. The woman continued to stay with Thalia for the longest time, in silence until Thalia asked, "So who are you people? What do you do?"
The woman silently chuckled, a tingle kind of laugh that made you want to laugh with them. She turned to Thalia before replying interestedly, "The question you should be asking is how we ever get along. Yes, my brothers and sisters in arms can be horribly annoying and can take their practical jokes too far at times, but there is no one else that I could want by my side and at my back. We would truly die for each other if we had to. As for what we do, we do many things. We keep the peace, we destroy threats, and keep things in balance for our master."
"What do you keep in balance?" Thalia was intrigued as she sat down with this young woman, who leaned back against the pine tree as she seemed to look for the right things to say. Finally she said, "Many things, Ms. Grace. Nature, spiritual energies… even the gods themselves if the need arises."
"How do you do that willingly? You'd have to have lost so many friends in this job, seeing as how you all seem mortal. Going against a god is like a suicide mission." To Thalia's surprise the Native American girl laughed, and this one was more hysterical than humored. She wiped a tear from her eye as she exhaled another laugh before explaining, "Oh, Thalia, half of us wouldn't have even joined if we were at risk of dying for the sake keeping order in the most isolated parts of the world. We are immortal through and through, because our master understands it takes immortals to beat immortals."
Thalia was starting to wonder just who this guy was. "How does your master get away with that?"
"He doesn't care about what Zeus thinks Thalia. The gods can't touch him in his palace. We are under his protection, and have been given our orders and the power to carry them out. We have no specific origins, some of us aren't even from your world."
"What do you mean by that, like aliens or something?" The girl shook her head and laughed before replying, "Of course not Thalia. I'm talking about mythological worlds."
"Greek or Roman?"
"Most of us? Neither. I myself come from the Alaskan tribes." Thalia looked at her like she was crazy. Realization seemingly hit the woman as she face palmed. "Oh of course. Sometimes I forget that some godly forces want to keep their worshippers ignorant and unknowing of the outside world. Where did you think those wolf beasts came from, and why Greek weapons couldn't kill them? Did you notice that we used flint weapons and killed them so easily?"
Thalia felt her world turn upside down as she shot up from her position. Sure, she had guessed there were other gods, but completely other worlds? Her vision spinned as she tried to comprehend that the girl in front of her was part of a different reality than Thalia. She suddenly felt a knock at the back of her head, and her vision blackened as the girl scolded whoever had hit her. She passed out before she knew who the figure was.
Thalia awoke laying on a fur covered cot. She smelled the scent of meat cooking over a fire, and opened her eyes to get a good look at her surroundings. She was inside one of the long houses, surrounded by her fellow huntresses. They soon backed away from her as she rose and placed her feet to the floor. She felt her head beat as she sat up too fast, and gripped her head with one hand. Soothing the goose bump on the back of her head.
The native woman pushed her way through the hunters as she evaluated Thalia's head, before rubbing an ointment into her hair where the bump was, soothing it and eliciting a sigh. She thanked her, before asking her, "Who in Hades' name hit my head?" The woman sent a dirty look across the way, before replying,
"That was Frost, the annoying one that hates Olympus from earlier." Thalia remembered him distinctly. She felt her fingers spark as her rage escalated. How dare that foolish man hit her on the head? She would soon stick that spear so far up his-
"Thunder Britches' kid! Chill." The man separated the crowd as they glared at him, wary of the spear he wielded casually across a harness on his back. He smiled a blinding white smile like Apollo, but his pale blue eyes held a certain harshness in them. This man hadn't bothered with hiding his face like the others. He seemed quite cocky as well. He quickly became someone none of the Hunt liked.
"Why did you hit me on the head for!?" Exclaimed Thalia, her eyes darkening. Her hand was tightening into a fist, making her hand turn white. He simply laughed at her and replied in his smooth humorous voice, "You were being dramatic. You looked ready to pass out already, I just decided to hasten the process." She swung her fist, and to her surprise he easily caught it with a light grip. His eyes began to glow brighter than neon as frost began to crawl up her arm from her hand.
He laughed humorlessly as he commented, "Hit first, ask questions later. A typical thing for one of Zeus' kids. Even a bastard like you." His smile began to melt away until an uncharacteristic snarl formed on his face. The frost had spread all the way to her shoulder when the native woman separated them, and pushed Frost away.
"What are you thinking? We are on mission, and I have promised for these people to be unharmed." He once again made another smile and jerked his arm from her grip. "Please, Shaman, it's not like that hurt her any. She's the lieutenant, she can obviously handle herself. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get the wolves ready." He walked away, out into the cold outside. The sun appeared to be on the rise, as the sky was a purple pink. Shaman turned back to Thalia. "Please excuse Frost Thalia. He's had to go through a lot in the past."
"No excuse." Thalia gripped her thawing hand as she glared at where Frost had left. "Now what was this about wolves?"
"Oh, those," Shaman said, "you'll see soon. Trust me, you'll like this." She beckoned the hunters out of the tent, which soon collapsed as the last trace of these people disappeared. All but the large wolves the size of bears, breathing heavily and most of them carrying rivers and supplies. There were enough free wolves for the hunters and Artemis, as well as Shaman and Frost, who affectionately stroked the muzzle of a black wolf, with a silver chain around its neck.
The wolves gave the hunters no aggressive nature, other than the suspicious glance and sniffs of a predator. Thalia mounted herself onto the leather harness, kneading her fingers through the soft white fur of her wolf, Mitera. She ducked down behind the wolf's head to avoid the cold wind as Shaman stirred her mount to a small gait, before slowly increasing speed. The other wolves seemed to match in pace with her, which was fine until Thalia saw the edge of the cliff that was racing towards them. Thalia began to panic as her wolf leaped off the edge and began to descend. The wind whipped her hair into the air as Thalia screamed as loud as she could, the roar of the air raced by her and she could only curse Shaman and these people for making her fall to her death before they had stopped. Her eyes had been closed until she felt the absence of the wind and a calm stillness among them. No more falling, no more flailing or panicking or anything.
She opened her eyes to catch sight of a massive fortress, carved into the side of a glacier. The large structure worked its way to the top of the glacier, where a large keep towered over a sprawling city of ice and stone. The glacier looked like it had been frozen for a long time, with no sign of falling away into the cold sea below. Thalia was almost as awed by its beauty as she was when she first saw Olympus, although the city certainly wasn't designed like the city of the gods. Unlike Olympus' sharp, clean edged design, this place had curves and flows to its streets, and the buildings were both smooth and jagged like volcanic glass. The hooded Shaman chuckled at Thalia's expression and tapped her reins, causing her red wolf to walk down the cut out pathway in the side of the glacier, leading to what could potentially be the Hunt's doom or their hope.