"Who's there?" Perseus Jackson called out, his sea green eyes searching the darkness around him. All he could here was the quiet lap of waves against the sand. Pushing his uneasiness to the side he quickly took off his sandals and waded into the knee deep shore. He smiled, the water relaxing his body and calming his high strung nerves. It seemed as if all the trouble with the Titans, a neighboring kingdom, had vanished, the civilization basically disappearing after the Greeks conquered them. And being the navy general, Percy had led the battle, even fighting against the king's ship, Castellan, alongside Annabeth Chase, one of the few female generals in the Greek army. Remembering the events and the deaths, he let out a long breath.
"Perseus Jackson," a voice came from behind him. He turned around, water splashing onto his knee length peplos and his blue himation flapped around him. His eyes narrowed at the dark haired woman in a golden dress. A peacock stood at her feet, its tails spread wide.
"Hera," he said, bowing his head slightly. The goddess raised her eyebrows.
"I thought you had some manners, young demigod," she huffed. Percy rolled his eyes and bowed low.
"Better?" he asked, smirking slightly.
"It is dangerous to mock a god," she retorted.
"It is. But gods don't visit unless they want something. What do you want, Hera?" he replied.
"You're smarter than you look. Yes, I want something. But you Greeks will benefit greatly from it. Zeus doesn't want it, and to let it play out, the better of the two coming out on top. But we know who will win. The Greeks will perish and evil will rise," she explained.
"Why are you telling me this?" he questioned, stepping deeper into the water, which slightly swirled around his legs. The Goddess paused and laughed.
"Because you are part of my plan. You're what is going to hold it all together," she replied, her smile making the demigod uneasy.
"I'm not interested. We just finished a whole big war. I would like a break, thank you," he huffed and turned away from her. He heard her sigh.
"Fine. At least may I have a proper bow?" she asked, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Percy rolled his eyes and walked out of the water before bowing low to the goddess.
"Happy?" he mumbled, turning back around. He froze, the world tilting slightly.
"Yes, Perseus Jackson," she whispered, laughing slightly. He turned back to her, almost falling. He stood two steps away from the water.
"What did you do?" he asked, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth. He stumbled forward onto his knees. His himation draped down, dragging the wet sand.
"As I said, you are part of my plan. I can't have you go back and tell your little Greek friends, either," she laughed, watching the boy slowly fall forward. She frowned when he started for the water.
"T-that's not g-going to happen," he choked out, fighting unconsciousness. He reached towards the water.
"No, you don't. Poseidon can't help you now," she said, pulling him away from the water. His eyes slowly closed and the goddess smiled, her plan just beginning.