Preface

Hi all! If you stumbled across this story on the main page, there might be some things you're confused about. Yes, this is actually the third installment of the 'Everlasting Hero' series. To save you from the painstaking task of actually reading the five-year-old, poorly-written (even worse than my current writing, if that's even possible) 'Book 1' and 'Book 2'. So I've summarized them below for you, including extra details of anything that has changed slightly.

Everlasting Hero: The Argonauts

As a ten-year-old boy, Percy is first thrust into action when Jason sets off on his journey to find the Golden Fleece. Both of them, as pupils of Chiron, start off with a strong bond. Percy, more than most demigods, is able to channel his powers quite deeply and is particularly skilled at combat. The Argo sets off with a variety of famous Argonauts, and Percy becomes quite close to some of them, including Theseus, Atalanta, Periclymenus, Peleus, Castor and Polydeuces, and the Boreads. Percy does find himself attracted to Atalanta, but their relationship remains platonic. He even receives a gift from Heracles, the sword Anaklusmos, before Heracles leaves the quest. Later, Percy tampers with the sword and has it infused with mortal metals so that he is able to harm both worlds.

Two years pass before they reach Colchis, unlike the myths where the voyage lasts only a few months. But like the myths, Medea helps Jason with his task for the king. Meanwhile, Percy ends up leading the charge to steal the Fleece, and kills the Colchian drakon. He's grown incredibly strong, to the point that now he's the 'talk of the town'. It is also at this point where Percy and Jason begin to drift apart.

During this journey, Atalanta trains Percy in the art of archery. She mentions that while hunters fall under Artemis' protection, there is no official group that directly serve the goddess. Percy begins to formulate an idea: if he can find someone who is willing, he can start the 'Hunters of Artemis.' He begins to have dreams of the Hesperides.

After successfully navigating their way out of the grasp of the Colchians, down past the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis, they get blown to Libya. In their journey out, Percy finds himself near the mountains where the Hesperides reside. He's drawn to the area and finds a defeated Zoë and brings her back with him to the ship. With a little help from Triton, the Argonauts finally sail back home to a seemingly happy ending.

But Jason and Medea had already begun to drift apart despite their marriage. Six months after the Argo returned from its journey, Percy finds out Jason abandoned Medea for a princess named Creusa for his plan to take back the throne of Iolcus. Percy curses Jason for betraying her trust, but feels conflicted about his anger. Zoë, who has accompanied Percy, assures him he will be fine. He swears an oath to the River Styx to never treat women the way Jason and Heracles did.

These values are put to the test when they join the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. Percy learns Theseus abandoned Ariadne. Both he and Zoë feel conflicted, especially since he shows them remorse to the point where he is willing to end his own life. During the hunt, Zoë is injured badly, and their relationship develops. Both of them grow feelings for each other, though they start small.

The two begin their journey to get to Olympus, first by tracking down the manticore, tricking the gorgons into falling for their trap, then by attacking Lamia in the dead of night. Percy gains new items, such as a copy of Aegis and the Infinity Pouch, which can hold a seemingly infinite volume of items inside it. It is also during this period that they fall in love and share their first kiss. They spend a total of three years together.

But in the end, none of that matters. Zoë ends up being the first lieutenant of the Hunters, and Percy learns he's a descendant of Athena and is vouched for to be an immortal hero, to the same degree as the Hunters. And so begins his journey as the 'Everlasting Hero.'

Everlasting Hero: The Golden Blade

Years after his initial journey, Percy accompanies his pupil, Achilles, to a war council hosted in Mycenae by Agamemnon. Helen of Sparta has been taken by the Trojans, and the pact between her old suitors is put into action. Percy, in the time since his inauguration as the Everlasting Hero, has made an oath to serve and protect 'Greece' and her honour and dislikes Helen's betrayal of it all.

Percy goes to learn of a prophecy that foretells the fall of Mycenaean Greece, the changing of the gods' forms, and the impact on his own life. The two oaths he made — one promising to treat women better than Jason and Heracles, the other to protecting Greece — becomes a major conflict for him as he wonders which oath he'd forego. He begins to wonder of the true powers behind the war, but proceeds as planned by Agamemnon.

When they first reach the shores of Troy, there is a quick skirmish where Briseis is captured. Percy, still having never truly been in war, fantasizes of being the hero he thinks he should be. He demands that the Myrmidons, including Achilles, treat captives and females as equally as they would men and boys.

Eventually, Percy rescues Cassandra, a Trojan princess, from captivity by the main Greek camp, and attempts to return her to the Trojans. Unfortunately, due to her curse, they don't accept her back, and Percy is forced to take her into the Myrmidon camp with her cousin Briseis.

After the diplomatic envoy is unsuccessful at bringing Helen back to Greek hands, Paris challenges Menelaus to a duel. During the duel, Menelaus wins, but before Paris can be killed, Aphrodite whisks him away to safety. As a result, the Trojan War truly begins, and the nine-year siege starts.

Over the nine years, Percy and Cassandra come to enjoy each other's company. Physically, they are attracted to each other and sometimes sleep together for what Cassandra calls 'stress relief.' Achilles, in a conversation a little while later, reveals that Cassandra has actually fallen for Percy, as he essentially let her do as she pleased and is one of the few that isn't affected by her curse.

Similar to the Iliad, in the ninth year, Agamemnon takes Briseis away from Achilles, which causes him to withdraw from the war. For a while, this works. In the skirmish on the fateful night, Percy is stabbed in the back by Aeneas, and only survives because he is close to the sea. At that moment, Patroclus pretends to be Achilles, riding out into battle, and is killed in the ensuing fight. Learning of his cousin's death, Achilles vows revenge.

Achilles becomes more and more bloodthirsty, to the point where he even lashes out at Briseis. He slaughters Anchises, Aeneas' father, after his right-hand man Eudoros was killed and plays with the dead body. Percy tries to calm him down, but realizes there's nothing he can do to contain Achilles' rage. He also accepts the fact that he is not really any better than a murderous monster after all the terrible things he's done in the war.

Like in the myths, Hector finally agrees to duel Achilles, and loses in a valiant effort. Achilles drags his body and defaces it instead of giving it back to the Trojans to mourn. Percy then joins the operation to get Achilles to return Hector's body to Priam, king of Troy.

But just when things seem to be trending in the right direction, Apollo kills Achilles. While he suspected it all along, Percy finds himself unable to hold back his grief. He unleashes all the power he'd trained and tested over the years, becoming a whirlwind just as deadly as Achilles, but nowhere near as invulnerable.

Knowing Troy is fated to fall, Percy takes part in constructing the large wooden horse to infiltrate the city. As they build it, he learns Briseis fled after Achilles' death, and the life around Percy begins to crumble. After invading the city and killing Helen, he suddenly realizes the terrible things going on around him. As the Greeks burn the temples to the gods, the choice becomes clear: Percy will betray the oath to Greece.

Percy saves Aeneas and ensures a small contingent of Trojans escapes. In the process, he turns into a machine and kills anyone who stands in his way, Greek or Trojan. Knowing he's done something unforgivable, he tries to commit suicide, but Zoë and the Hunters arrive and save his life, fulfilling the prophecy. It's not his time to fall yet. It is here that it is confirmed Percy still has feelings for Zoë, even more so than the ones he developed for Cassandra.

In the aftermath of the war, Percy follows all the survivors of the Trojan War and ensures their lives move on as fated. He helps Odysseus return home and steals the golden blade of Troy from Aeneas. He watches Cassandra be killed by Agamemnon's wife and lover before avenging her.

After some thirty-ish years, the prophecy is finally fulfilled when Apollo, Ares and Aphrodite frame him for raping Aphrodite in Zeus' temple. Percy doesn't help his case by talking back to Zeus in anger. Zeus raises his bolt to smite him and he is only able to escape with the help of half the Council, plus Hestia.

Percy is forced into exile and is furious, planning for the day that he would return to destroy Apollo and Ares and everything they stood for.

And there you have it. The summaries of my previous two books. I hope you enjoy this next installment!