Hey guys! Back with another reading story, I am still doing Reading Change Through Flame but laying off for awhile because no ideas are coming to me. If you have any ideas please PM them to me.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Heroes of Olympus.
or
The Kaiser of Destruction's story - The Forbidden Warrior
3rd POV
Lightning flashed illuminating the city of Olympus, rain pelted the ground and running gods, nymphs and satyrs alike, from the raging storm within. Zeus was truly furious.
In the Throne Room, the council was in a heated argument.
"Hera! Tell me again why you even suggested this quest." Strained Athena.
"These are tasks that are surely impossible to handle." Apollo added in.
"I did this so we could give him a chance of some sort of redemption." Hera responded calmly.
"My son is surely capable of completing these tasks." Zeus arrogantly boasted for sure that he will survive.
"I see no problem let the boy walk to his death." Artemis shrugged nonchalantly.
"The reason he might be doing this is because you made him kill his family!" Athena argued.
"I did not do such thing" Hera yelled.
"Have you ever thought that if let him hold the sky, what of Atlas" Aphrodite asked.
"What if he eats the apple the moment he gets it" Hermes said.
"Heracles will do the quest shall it called The Twelve Labors of Heracles, Council dismissed " Zeus spoke with a tone of finality.
Protests rang through the room, then silence
Everyone in the room was just... gone, swept away by a powerful force.
Present Time: Death of Luke
Percy POV
He gripped my sleeve, and I could feel the heat of his skin like a fire. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it . . . Don't let it happen again."
His eyes were angry, but pleading too.
"I won't," I said. "I promise."
Luke nodded, and his hand went slack.
The gods arrived a few minutes later in their full war regalia, thundering into the throne room and expecting a battle.
What they found were Annabeth, Grover, and me standing over the body of a broken half-blood, in the dim warm light of the hearth.
"Percy," my father called, awe in his voice. "What . . . what is this?"
I turned and faced the Olympians.
"We need a shroud," I announced, my voice cracking. "A shroud for the son of Hermes."
A bright light surrounded the hearth, the Olympians raised their weapons.
I was too tired to do anything except closing my eyes.
Even with my eyes closed there was a searing pain.
I heard a thump as if something fell on the floor.
I blinked back the black spots in my eyes and looked around. My injuries magically disappeared along with Annabeth's and Grover's, there was a thick book on the floor, Kronos's scythe was gone, all the Olympians were sitting their thrones in classical Greek outfits, and Luke's body was just gone.
My eyes widened in surprise, I looked up and Bessie was swimming in circles in his little aquarium.
An envelope fluttered down to Hermes, he grabbed it and opened it before I could blink.
Dear Olympians, demigods and satyr,
We owed Kronos something. His wish to us was to let the truth be revealed to a select few if he lost the war.
You shall be given numerous books of some people's lives that the information Zeus destroyed, long, long ago.
No harm shall be inflicted during any reading session or face our wrath.
The Fates
The moment Hermes finished reading the letter disintegrated and fell to the floor as if it was sand.
My mind started racing, what did the fates mean by destroyed information, what's going on.
Zeus's face was paler than Hades right now.
"Zeus, what did you do" Hera threatened.
"Father what's so dangerous that you had to destroy it" Athena questioned.
"Why don't we read and find out" he stammered out trying to find a way to not have all the attention on him, odd because he loves the attention.
Athena picked up the book and read the title.
Artemis POV
The Forbidden Warrior
"What does that mean?" Dionysus asked curiously. We stared at him like he was mad. "You were listening!" Perseus was shocked. "What was it that you youth say these days, 'duh'"
Athena continued reading.
It was a dark night. The sun had just recently set and the moon was shining brightly high in the sky as the daughter of Let and Zeus drove her silver chariot across the sky of Ouranus.
"Hey little sis is mentioned" Apollo mentioned.
I growled. "Shut up Apollo or have cereal shoved down your throat" Demeter threatened. I gave a thankful nod.
The nighttime stars twinkled gently against the blanket of Erebus and the glowing purple-white band of the Milky Way stood out brightly.
"The last time I saw the Milky Way was in the old times" Hades cut in.
A silent shadow raced across the sky as the primordial goddess Nyx rode her shadow chariot, hidden to the eyes of mortals and immortals alike.
I saw the gears turning in Athena's head because Nyx was supposed to be in Tartarus.
There were no clouds visible tonight, allowing for the stars to shine with all their glory and wonder.
My mind drift off to Zoe's last words 'The stars milady '
As quickly as that thought came, it disappeared.
Under Ouranos, resting on the breast of Gaea, a forest stood, quiet and calm.
I smiled at the serenity.
A gentle breeze moved through the trees, creating a soft rustling sound that one could fall asleep to. Under the blanket of leaves and branches, a herd of deer silently moved passed the trees. Several mice scampered across the ground, making a soft scurrying sound. A group of ants moved up and down the trunk of a tree, working tirelessly through the day and night.
I love my domain…
So peaceful…
Several miles from the forest was a small Greek village, isolated from the Greek city-states.
My mind listed off all the villages that were isolated from the city-states.
Smoke from a fire slowly rose from the village. The village was silent as its inhabitants slept peacefully in the realm of Morpheus. There was nobody awake.
At least, in the village.
"I wonder which village this is" Demeter asked interested.
Outside the village in the forest, sitting on a branch of a tree was a tall teenage boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen.
I scowled another Hero.
He had black hair with streaks of gray and slightly gold-silvery eyes.
"Interesting eye color" Apollo mumbled.
His eyes seemed to glow slightly. A faded scar ran down the right side of his face and across his right eye. An aura of peacefulness and content emitted from him, but also an aura of melancholy. He pulled back on the string of his bow—a black, slightly blue bow that blended in with the night—and let go.
That is a very interesting bow, my mind tried to list off any archers of that time with those characteristics.
A soft twang echoed through the trees. The boy was dressed in light-weight leather armor. A hunting knife hung from his belt and on his left side hung a sword. A leather quiver was strapped to his back and in it were Celestial Bronze silver-tipped arrows, allowing the boy to kill mortals and monsters, including those pesky Lycanthropes.
"A hunter and demigod?" Hermes looked at me; I shot him a glare for even thinking of anything that preposterous. "So he knows of that pesky wolf" Apollo murmured.
"The boy looked up at the nighttime sky and sighed in content, enjoying the peacefulness of the night. A bird flew by. His eyes flashed and the bird slowed down in mid-air for several seconds.
"He is a threat to Olympus. That is the reason he has been erased from history" Zeus declared smugly because he had finally found an excuse.
People rolled their eyes at Zeus's paranoia.
The boy's eyes flashed again and the bird flew off. He glanced to the right and his grip on his bow tightened. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree trunk. He waited.
"Waited for what?" Apollo questioned. "Well we don't know, will you just shut up so we can find out" I growled.
Crack. Rustle. A small branch snapped and a few leaves were crushed by a man's sandaled foot.
Good senses.
The boy's eyes snapped open. In a flash, he had an arrow nocked and then released it. The arrow shot into the darkness and a horse neighed in surprise and shock from the shadows. The boy heard shouts of shock and surprise. The sound of shields being raised and swords being drawn pierced the night.
My eyes widened "How is that possible". "Well Arty we don't know, will you just shut up so we can find out" Apollo said in a teasing voice. "Do not call me Arty!" I twirled my bowstring in my hands, he paled a little knowing what would happen if he continued on this road.
The boy heard a chuckle. A man with short black hair and a long beard appeared from the shadows. He wore standard Greek armor. A sword hung from his side and a shield was strapped to his back. "I will never truly understand how you can make a shot like that," the man chuckled.
"Odysseus" I heard Poseidon mutter
The boy grinned slightly without humor. "It's the dead of night. Why are you here, Odysseus?"
Many gasped knowing this was somewhere near the Trojan War.
The boy's voice was soft, but it had a threatening edge to it, as if any second, the boy would shoot an arrow between the king of Ithaca's eyes. While many people relied on loud, powerful voices to display a massive level of strength, the calm, emotionless tone of the boy's voice was more than enough to send chills down the king of Ithaca's spine.
He's very powerful.
Odysseus' smile faded. "I think you already know the answer to that, Perseus."
"What!" Perseus yelled in surprise, "Why do we have the same name"
We gave him pointed glares "The less you interrupt, the faster we'll get through the story" Hera supplied sweetly.
Perseus scowled slightly. "So the rumors I've heard are true, then. Agamemnon is calling for all the forces of the lands to attack the kingdom of Troy."
Everyone seemed to know the time period.
"Yes," Odysseus admitted.
Perseus scoffed. "Don't tell me that he sent you to ask me for help."
"Arrogant hero, thinking the king asked for him to fight" I growled, "Father please tell me he had a gruesome death"
Father didn't respond.
Odysseus winced. "Unfortunately, that is exactly what he's done."
"Hey Arty was wrong" Apollo sung in a teasing voice.
I sent a warning shot near to the place where the sun doesn't shine.
He whimpered.
Perseus scowled. He rolled off the tree branch and landed on the ground softly. He glared at Odysseus. "And tell me why I should go. I have no affiliations to any of the kingdoms, nor do I care about that pudgy little king."
"The little guy's got guts" Ares commented, "What, right before the Trojan war remember"
"You are the finest warrior in all the lands.
I snorted at the remark; my hunters would surely best the boy.
Your skill is rivaled only by that of Achilles.
Ares seemed very interested in the book by now
People have even called you the apprentice of Artemis herself."
"What!" I cried in outrage, "I would never teach a boy" I growled.
"Arty remember Zeus destroyed this information" Apollo said "and now we're going to know if you were ever friends with a boy"
Perseus snorted. "Watch your tongue, Odysseus. Artemis doesn't take well to insult."
I did a slight nod, though very insulted by Odysseus.
Odysseus laughed. "Of course you would know."
"He still insults me" People around scooted away from me.
Odysseus didn't know this, but Perseus did in fact know.
My eyes widened, it couldn't be possible.
In fact, he was quite close to Artemis—closer than anyone else in universe, in fact.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP" Aphrodite screamed.
"This book is full of lies" I spat; I looked at my father for confirmation.
He just looked away.
Confusion spread through me.
The demigods and the satyr were recovering from Aphrodite's outburst.
Perseus smirked. He turned around and closed his eyes, listening for any prey to hunt. "I will not fight for a man who cherishes only his power and sluts. If Agamemnon is so desperate for a war, then let him fight it himself. I will not fight for him."
"Said like a boss" Ares complimented, we stared at him in shock, "If he can win Artemis's favor, that's enough for me"
"Then fight for me," Odysseus said. "Fight with the Ithacans. Or perhaps..." He paused. An idea came to his mind. "Why not fight with Achilles and his Myrmidons?"
Athena seemed to go over all the battle plans in the Trojan War before continuing reading.
Perseus glanced at Odysseus without any interest. "So. You managed to convince him to join? I'm surprised you're still alive." He squinted at the darkness before nocking an arrow. He released it and a soft thud could be heard in the distance as his prey fell to the ground, dead. Odysseus shook his head in amazement. Perseus let out a breath. "Troy...I see no reason why I have to fight."
"Yes, I also see no reason" Apollo's eyes blazed with fire.
Odysseus sighed. "Achilles did say that you would be harder to convince than he was." Perseus grinned humorlessly. "That is because he fights for honor. I fight when I want to. I see no reason why I would need to have my name last through the ages.
"Another modest Hero" Dionysus grumbled.
Embarrassing, if you ask me, having people three thousand, four thousand years from now or so knowing all about your life and writing humiliating stories about you."
"That's the reason he's not known, he didn't want to be" Zeus said happily finding another excuse. Percy nodded at the book persons remark.
He stuck his bow in the ground and leaned against it. "But...perhaps I'll go along. I've always wanted to meet Prince Hector of Troy. I've heard that he could best any opponent in battle. Perhaps even Achilles."
"But not you," Odysseus said. "Your arrows would be stuck in his head before he could even raise his spear."
"Flattery will get you nowhere" Poseidon commented.
Perseus shook his head. "I doubt such a thing would happen. In a one-on-one fight, he would probably come out as the victor."
"Hey Percy he's like you, but better at the bow, and smarter." Annabeth pointed out.
Odysseus smiled a little. "Have some pride in your skills, my friend."
"Pride would only lead to my death. What is the point of having pride in something, when there will always be somebody who could best you?"
"Annabeth who do you think his godly parent is" Percy asked.
"I… don't know" she hesitantly stuttered.
"The world's ending, the great Annabeth Chase doesn't know something" Percy yelled. "It's not like you know the answer either" she retorted.
Odysseus laughed. "There has been no one who has bested you in archery yet, though."
"Yet. And you forget, the goddess Artemis is the goddess of archery. If she so desired, she could curse my skill and make me miss every single shot for the rest of my life."
I nodded slightly, still miffed about being close to me.
Perseus grabbed his bow and stepped away from Odysseus, facing the darkness. He didn't speak for a while as he pondered his decision. Eventually, he spoke."I'll meet you at Troy."
"He gives in" I heard Hermes mutter.
"Will you not come by ship?"
"Perhaps I will, but it will certainly not be by yours then. Your ship reeks of a very strange odor that I would not like to smell again."
I scowled.
Odysseus chuckled. Perseus ran into the woods and the darkness in front of him. Above, the moon glowed brightly.
"Please tell that's the end of the chapter" Apollo whined.
Athena replied by continuing.
Perseus stood on the bow of the Myrmidon ship. Achilles stood next to him, leaning against the side of the ship. Perseus stared at the beach of Troy, which got closer by the second, with both interest and boredom. While he had always wanted to see Troy for himself, he also didn't want to fight for some lousy king. And yet here he was.
"I like this boys thoughts" Shouted Ares. Perseus looked at him shocked and the satyr just scooted away.
On the bright side, he could spend the entire war insulting Agamemnon.
"Wonderful, I'm starting to like this kid" Apollo chuckled darkly.
"Are you sure that you will not need a shield?" Achilles asked, mirth evident in his voice.
Perseus grinned. "I never said that I will be the one fighting today, old friend. It's unfortunate that Agamemnon has ordered that we both come to Troy. However..." He sat down and placed his hands behind his head. "He never said that we would have to fight at Troy. At least, not to me."
"Turning a king's words against him, I'm surprised he isn't a politician" Hermes noted.
Achilles grinned. "Of course of all people, it would be you to turn the king's words against him. I'm surprised you haven't thought of being a politician."
A select few laughed while a few snorted.
"And join all those fat sots at the councils? No thank you. I'd rather curse the gods a million times than be put there." Perseus looked up at the other ships. "It seems that we're quite far from the other ships. Shall we slow down?"
Achilles shook his head. His eyes gleamed with a lust for battle. "No. Myrmidons! Reach the shore! The faster you row, the faster you gain glory!" The Myrmidons roared in agreement. The ship cut through the waves as Poseidon pushed the ship towards Troy,
"Uncle who's side are you on" Apollo asked.
"That's just book me" Poseidon made up.
urging the warriors to destroy the Trojans.
Apollo glared at Poseidon.
Perseus unslung his bow from his back and stood up. He grinned. "I call first blood."
"The boy's got guts" Ares complimented.
Achilles glanced at his bow and back at the Trojan beach. "I think we're close enough for you to announce our arrival."
Perseus' grin widened. "How many arrows?"
"Two."
Perseus nocked two arrows and raised his bow. He glanced at the Trojan beach one last time before releasing his arrows. The two arrows flew through the air. No Trojan realized that two of their men were dead until they tumbled to the ground, dropping their weapons.
"I thought he said he wasn't fighting"
Perseus turned to Achilles. "Your turn, Achilles."
Achilles nodded. The ship stopped at the beach. Immediately, a barrage of arrows flew at the ship. Several of the arrows were struck out of the air by Perseus' arrow. He nocked another arrow and knocked out several more arrows from the sky. Perseus took a deep breath and concentrated. He felt a surge of power inside him. Time instantly slowed down everywhere except him.
Perseus glanced at Annabeth and whispered something in her ear.
He knocked several arrows and knocked out every single arrow from the sky except one. The one arrow landed between his feet. Perseus panted from the use of his powers. Achilles glanced at him before leaping over the side of the ship with his warriors close behind.
There was silence. Everyone was on the edge of their seats anticipating for a battle.
A small battalion of Trojans awaited the Myrmidons—an easy fight for the warriors trained by Achilles himself. A barrage of arrows flew at the Myrmidons, but they snapped into a phalanx. The arrows bounced off the shields harmlessly. Perseus grinned. "Ten seconds," he muttered to himself.
"Ten seconds for what" Demeter asked.
No one answered her.
The Trojans let out a battle cry and charged. When the first Trojan got in range, Achilles lunged and hurled his spear into the head of a Trojan near the front of the battalion. Perseus grinned triumphantly. Ten seconds was right. An arrow landed with a thud next to his head and he nocked an arrow and sent it flying without any hesitation. He barely even looked at what he shot at. A scream of pain in the distance told him that he had hit his mark.
My eyes widened, he couldn't be this good unless… No impossible, I would never train a boy.
The Myrmidons charged with Achilles in the lead. After giving them a head start, Perseus somersaulted over the side of the ship and took off towards the temple of Apollo.
I glanced at Apollo already knowing what going to happen, they're going to ransack his temple.
In the corner of his eye, Perseus saw Achilles slit the throat of one Trojan and smash his shield against the face of another.
Ares was grinning like a madman. Perseus was muttering on about how Prometheus was wrong about something being like the Trojan War.
The Myrmidons made short work of the Trojan battalion, but reinforcements quickly came, charging at the Myrmidons. The black-armored warriors became lost in a sea of Trojans.
Perseus slung his bow over his back and drew his sword and hunting knife. Unlike the other warriors in the world, Perseus fought with a unique style that few could hope to fight. Along with his powers over time, Perseus was a deadly fighter on the battlefield, and a feared one at that.
The Trojans finally seemed to notice him and a small group of Trojans charged at him, thinking that he could be defeated easily, since he was a single warrior. They were wrong.
My curiosity grew, wanting to know more about him.
Perseus ducked under a wild slash of a Trojan before slashing his sword across the Trojan's neck. Another Trojan stabbed at his heart, but Perseus knocked the blade aside with his sword and stepped in close to the Trojan before slitting the Trojan's throat with his hunting knife.
Everyone was too engrossed in the story to notice someone hiding in the shadows. I narrowed my eyes trying to get the persons face but they disappeared.
He allowed his hunting knife to keep going, deflecting a downward strike from the third Trojan. Perseus stabbed his sword into the Trojan's neck and vaulted over the Trojan's body as he fell to the ground. Perseus blocked a strike from the last Trojan and grabbed an arrow from his quiver. He slammed it upwards into the Trojan's jaw. He then retrieved his sword and faced the other Trojans.
"Their dead" Athena commented interrupting her own reading.
Everyone nodded knowingly.
The other Trojans stared at him in shock before charging.
"Idiots, they need to be put in their place" I muttered.
Perseus ducked under one strike and sidestepped another while swinging his sword, slashing across a Trojan's throat. At the same time, he held his knife under his arm, blocking a blow to his side. Perseus lunged and kicked a Trojan back before spinning around and finishing off another Trojan. A spear stabbed at him, but Perseus sidestepped and threw his knife into the Trojan's eye. The Trojan screamed in pain and dropped his spear, which Perseus caught and stabbed into the Trojan's chest before hurling it at another Trojan. Perseus grabbed his knife and ripped it out of the Trojan's head, covering his hand with blood, but he ignored it and advanced.
"Awesome!" Shouted all the immature gods in the room.
Perseus looked like he was close to puking, along with that satyr.
Perseus then threw his sword horizontally.
"Like that's going to work" I said.
The blade ripped through the neck of one Trojan and impaled itself in the chest of another.
I was speechless "But…but…" I stuttered.
Apollo starting laughing hysterically, Hermes him a warning look on what's going to happen, "Apollo, you don't want this" I threatened, playing with my bow string.
Perseus drew another hunting knife and blocked a strike. Without looking, he spun around and cut a spear in half before ducking and dodging a swing to the head. Perseus jumped back and stabbed upwards, killing one Trojan. He used his other knife to block a spear and rolled forward. He quickly stood up and slit a Trojan's throat before hurling his knife at the second Trojan. He jumped towards the Trojan and grabbed his knife, kicking the Trojan back.
"Why does he just refer to them as the Trojan, why not something else" Annabeth asked.
She didn't get a reply, I think she not speak up for a while.
The pathway was clear. Perseus ran towards the temple of Apollo and ran up the stairs. He sheathed his knives and grabbed his bow, nocking an arrow. He quickly released it. It flew straight into the temple and hit the blade of a Myrmidon's sword, knocking it out of the warrior's hand and onto the tile floor.
"Traitor!" I screamed with most gods.
Achilles appeared from the temple and looked at Perseus. Perseus walked up to him. "Tell your men to let the priests go. I'd rather not have to fight this war with Apollo trying to kill us at every chance he gets."
"Oh". I glanced at Apollo, he had a very large grin on his face, until he suddenly frowned "I thought they ransacked my temple, I even went there to check".
"Maybe Achilles didn't but Agamemnon did" Hephaestus suggested.
Achilles nodded. He waved for his soldiers to retreat. "And the gold and jewels?"
"Please don't take that" My brother prayed and prayed, to who or what I don't know.
"Leave that as well. They belong to the temple of Apollo and should remain here."
"Yes!" Apollo screamed.
I looked at him like he was crazy.
Perseus slung his bow and watched as the Myrmidons cleared out from the temple. Achilles and Perseus followed them. Perseus looked at the beach while the Myrmidons set up camp. "It seems that Agamemnon's army has finally arrived." The army of Agamemnon quickly set up their camps and a large tent for Agamemnon was raised.
I rolled my eyes.
Eudoros came up to Achilles. "My lord, we've captured a girl."
Alert I leaned forward wanting to know what will happen, if he defiles her I swear…
He led Achilles and Perseus to Achilles' tent and held the leather flaps to the side, allowing the two to enter. Eudoros glanced at Perseus a little nervously. "We thought she would...entertain you." He left the tent.
My jaw dropped, so he was that kind of boy, like he was ever my 'friend'.
Achilles glanced at Perseus, who rolled his eyes. "Don't do anything stupid or I'll have your head," Perseus warned. He left the tent and walked towards the temple of Apollo. He sat down next to the statue of Apollo and gazed at the walls of Troy.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw my brother staring off into space.
He imagined what it would be like to live there, protected by walls built by Poseidon himself and guarded by the finest army of the east, led by one of the greatest warriors of the lands, Hector.
"Troy got destroyed because they decided to keep a wooden horse" Hermes muttered.
Perseus leaned back against the marble steps and sighed. With no one around, he held out his hand. A shimmering miniature scythe the size of his hand formed above it, hovering in the air. It faded out of existence.
Immediately everyone erupted into chaos, "A son of Kronos, impossible", "That's why it's called forbidden warrior, son of Kronos and friend of Artemis"
"Let's just continue on to the next chapter" Hephaestus yawned uninterested.
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