A/N:
Hey guys, been a little ol' while hasn't it?
You know, I knew that people loved this story, but I never truly understood the scope and scale of that love until I finally sat down and looked at the numbers.
322 Follows?
261 Faves?
38 Reviews?
That's kinda crazy, but it means a lot to me. I appreciate the support you guys have given me, especially seeing as I'm starting almost from scratch in many ways!
Now, this chapter has been mostly subjected to SPaG work and continuity consolidation. I have plans to re-write the fight, but unfortunately I have so many projects on the go at the moment that it will probably be a few days before it's edited. I know it's not terrible, but I know I can do better; and the story therefore deserves better. I've also changed some descriptions and a few other bits and pieces just to make this chapter flow better.
Any ways, like previously, I've changed the chapter style so that the original 3 & 4 are together, as they also blend quite nicely into one-another, but I'd still like to hear whether or not you guys like this extended chapter style I've gone with.
But enough chat for now.
Let's get movin!
(P.S: I don't know about you guys, but I'm still shaking from the E3 Sony Mic-drop saga. Final Fantasy 7 is a game that is EXTREMLY close to my heart, and as such all I advise is that you guys keep an ear close to the ground with regards to a special Fic I plan on writing in order to commemorate not only its return, but its impending anniversary!)
Chapter one: Yeah, routine mission my arse!
(In Percy's private quarters)
Percy waited with anticipation. If there was one thing that he had learnt over the centuries as the son of Hades was the fact that his father's wife, and consequently Percy's mother, Persephone, was a very protective woman who loved her adopted son like he was her own flesh and blood. And she had stood by Percy and helped him through some of the more horrific things that he had done over the course of his life. Hell, she had helped him even partially mover past her: not once over that cursed century did she leave his side, like a real mother. And that was something that he appreciated more than he could ever show with words.
She had forgiven him for horrific acts he had committed and continued to help him move past the nightmares that haunted him.
However….
There was one thing that Percy's adoptive mother did not excuse or forgive so easily, especially after almost a century of no contact.
And that was sneaking into his father's palace at two o'clock in the morning and not letting them know that he had come back home.
"Percy. Would you please care to explain what you are doing in your bedroom despite saying you would be back later today?" Persephone asked in the most level tone that she could probably muster given her sons deception. Percy slowly picked himself up off of the floor with his sheepish grin slowly growing wider as he tried to avoid his mother's almost murderous gaze, taking a couple of seconds to try and come up with a decent excuse. But his mother clearly saw through his attempt to buy time when she spoke again as he rose up off of the floor.
"Percy, don't you DARE tell me that you got her late at night and didn't want to wake me or your father because you know that would not fuss us." She growled as her brown eyes began to flicker with rage, causing Percy to gulp audiably as he tried to scrounge up anything that sounded like a reasonable excuse. The trouble was that after three millennium of living as a teenager, he'd used every single last excuse under the son.
'Nothing for it I suppose.' Percy mused to himself as he finally decided on how to respond to his mother despite the slight ache that coursed through his body from jumping out of his bed when Hestia decided to abandon him to his mother and whatever punishment she probably had lined up for him.
"I was kindda hoping to surprise you at breakfast this morning, but I suppose that is kind of useless now..." He paused briefly under his mother's almost murderous glare, swallowing slightly before finally speaking again, "...look, I know it doesn't really make up for lying but I'm sorry I didn't tell you I'd be back earlier than I had originally planned." He finally spluttered out, closing his eyes in anticipation of the severe scolding he was more than likely going to be on the receiving end of.
So Percy was surprised when he felt something warm and gentle wrap its arms around his torso and pull him gently into a hug. Percy first thought it may just be his mother's way of getting close before starting to scold him, so he was surprised when his mother only whispered "I'm just glad you've come back alive Percy." Percy's tense body instantly relaxed as he remembered his mother's bad habit of being unable to stay angry for more than five seconds. He quickly returned his mother's affectionate gesture with his own hug, the smell of fresh flowers from Lavender to Roses drifting from the Goddess of spring time's body.
Suddenly, Percy felt himself being pushed away, only to have a very fast travelling, open palmed hand hit him across his left cheek. Percy looked at his mother with a somewhat shocked and hurt look that demanded an explanation which his mother was only too happy to provide for him.
"Percy, do you have any IDEA of how worried I have been over the past few decades? I have heard NOTHING from you in years! You could've died! Zeus may have caught you! So don't you EVER do that to me again! I expect you to try to Iris Message me as often as possible or I swear that I will kick your butt around this realm, crown prince or not!" His mother hissed, sending the hairs on the back of his head into a stiff, plank like position at his mother's words, whilst barely managing to nod his head for his reply. He may have been the oldest living demi-god, who had destroyed some of the mythical world's greatest beasts. He was immune to fear when combating outrageously huge enemies or facing down entire armies, but despite all of this there was one thing he was scared of.
His mother's anger.
Persephone scowled at him for several more seconds, both her rage and power flowing from her body in waves...but slowly the power and hatred began to fade as if the fuel that drove both of these things ran out as his mother's rage contorted face slowly eased itself back into its beautiful, constant smile and radiant gaze. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Persephone let out a small sigh as she took her son by the shoulder and guided him back to his bed, graceful sitting down whilst roughly jerking her son into his seat. "Percy...I just...I'm sorry I snapped. It's just..." But the queen of Hades was cut off with a small chuckle from the thirteen year old-looking boy sat opposite her.
"Mother, its fine. I haven't exactly been the best son of late. I never call, I never write. And I am so sorry I had you worrying about me again, but I have told you it is not necessary."
Persephone looked at her son with her soft caring gaze before laughing a little before retorting,
"I know you didn't mean to worry me, it's just that no matter how hard I try, you will always be my little boy no matter what. And like any true mother, I worry about you."
Percy smiled a little at his mother's over-protectiveness as they fell into a comfortable silence for a minute, giving Percy a chance to reflect on what his mother had said.
'Still just her little boy...how true and wrong at the same time.' he whispered to himself in the back of his mind until his mother finally spoke up again.
"So care to explain why Hestia was here a few minutes ago?" Persephone asked a little bit more sternly with a scowl creeping back across her face, obviously somewhat troubled by the prospects of the Hearth Goddesses visit could mean.
Seeing his mother's expression, Percy could not help himself as he began chuckling out loud for a few moments before regaining enough composure to speak again.
"Don't worry mother, aunty Hestia was just helping me recover after a nightmare, that's all. She wasn't going to drag me off on some suicide mission again so don't worry." Percy replied as calmly as he could, hoping to every possible God that his mother would calm down and simply change topics. Luckily this time, the Gods seemed to be listening (or at least one did) as Persephone slowly took a deep breath before dragging her son into another hug, carefully avoiding his broken ribs. "Good, you're going to spend some time with us for a while now with NO interruptions..." Persephone pulled out of the hug before pointing to her sons ribs, "...and I expect to hear the full story behind those over breakfast so I know who to go turn into a daffodil for hurting my little bitty boy." Persephone spoke the last part like a mother to her new-born child whilst adding insult to injury by lightly pulling on her son's right cheek.
"Yeah sure thing. See you at breakfast…. mum." He replied in the most level tone he could muster despite his mother's almost seemingly indomitable will to embarrassed her son every five seconds. Persephone smiled radiantly at his more affectionate choice of addressing her before taking her leave of the room and closing the door behind herself. Percy sat on his bed with bated breath for several seconds before letting out a heavy sigh and leaning back onto his bed, carefully avoiding the sweat patches in the covers. He let out another sigh as he lay there for several minutes, looking at the nightmare black ceiling of his room.
After what felt like an age, but in actual fact had only been several minutes, Percy finally decided to drag himself to his en suite bathroom. As he painfully pushed himself into a sitting position, Percy could not help but take in the environment of his private quarters seeing as it had been almost a century since he last slept in the room and he had not bothered with reorienting himself with the place last night when he snuck back in, opting instead to discard his gear and finally sleep in a proper bed again.
The room had not changed all that much over the last century: dull black walls stretched to about three or four metres in height, providing the large room it's almost box like feel. The room itself was separated into two different tiers, with each one serving a different purpose. The lower tier served somewhat as a "social area" where Percy could relax and simply enjoy the life of a prince whenever he was not out changing the course of history, making it perhaps the least used room in the entire house. Several sofa's and arm chairs all made of black or dark brown leather were positioned in a small circle like formation around a dark brown mahogany table that had been in Percy's room for Gods knew how long. On said table rested a bowl that conjured up just about any snack that you could possibly ever want, which was a small prize Percy had taken from a foolish, weak demigod a long time ago. Also on said table rested several other bits and pieces the crown prince of the underworld had stolen over his travels, from ancient Egyptian statues of Anubis to a weird piece of modern art that Hestia had "procured" for her champion at the start of the last century.
Around the rest of the lower floor existed a large, jet black LCD TV with full "Sky" TV connection and regular American TV channels. That coupled with several of the Olympian news networks, it was safe to say Percy could never complain about having nothing to watch, even though he rarely used TV's himself as the events of the past few years had left him with very little free time at all. Also on the left hand side of the room sat an old twentieth century pool table made with a nightmare black obsidian frame and a verdant green playing surface. Spread out around the edge of the room where several other dark wooden or obsidian desks and tables upon which several of his greatest triumphs resided.
Next was what Percy had dubbed the "sleeping level" were his single bed resided. Unlike most of the room, the wooden frame of the bed was made of a much lighter coloured oak that contrasted with the rest of the room rather nicely. It was a single bed with simple black sheets and pillows that were as dark as the realm of Morpheus himself. Percy smiled. That bed was over eight hundred years old and still counting, and was a gift from a Milanese tradesman after he had rescued his daughter from bandits who had kidnapped her with the intention of selling her into slavery.
'Ahhhh good times.'
Then there was the bathroom.
Unlike the rest of the rooms in Hades palace, Percy's bathroom was actually rather bright in terms of colour. The floor was made of brilliant white tiles that could blind even Apollo when he wore his sunglasses should the sun ever catch them. The walls were a slightly murkier coloured white but non-the-less brighter than anything else in the palace. A simple glass fronted shower resided in the back right corner whilst a crystal white bath occupied the entire left wall.
Percy sighed as he finally managed to remember how to open the damned door. He still had fifty minutes so he may as well make use of the facilities available to him before he sat down to breakfast with his father and mother.
(40 minutes later)
Percy sighed slightly as he stood in front of his old mirror from his time as Saladin.
The original golden paint along the fringes had long since faded away, leaving a slightly crisper layer of golden paint to cover the ancient woodwork than Percy remembered. The woodwork itself was inscribed with hundreds of Latin verses from hymns and prayers. Etched delicately into the framework was also images of Jesus Christs supposed journey to his death and eventual resurrection...
The mirror of Gethsemane.
Why such a valuable Christian artefact was in Acre all those years ago when he turned it from the pinnacle of the Crusaders power to nothing more than a reminder of the fury and hatred that Saladin was capable of escaped him still to this day. He kept is as reminder of how far he had been willing to go to stop that power hungry shit head son of Zeus from causing too much trouble and upsetting the balance of the world.
'I wonder how many souls down here would try to kill me if I walked back through the fields in my armour?' Percy mused for a few moments before simply muttering under his breath.
"Probably easier to ask who wouldn't try and kill me."
In truth, Percy held no contempt or hatred towards the people he had been ordered to fight against. They were stout warriors with great skill and no fear of death. But Percy knew deep down that all of this was spawned from the delusions of one power-hungry demigod and a continent of blind sheep.
Percy shook his head, "No point getting hung up on the past...the dead are dead and the blood has been shed. No point getting all mopey about it now I suppose." Slowly Percy let his thoughts drift from the past and into the present as he began to examine his body after another beating in the big wide world.
The first thing he noticed was how much paler his skin had actually become over the past few years. Originally slightly sun-kissed like his mother and Aunty Hestia, years of operating in the shadows had led to Percy's skin to slowly lose its colour, turning from a gorgeous, healthy tan colour to an incredibly pale, almost ghastly white that absolutely terrified most people. It almost looked like someone had taken the skin of a dead man and grafted it to Percy's body. It looked unnatural to anyone who saw him even just several centuries earlier. It made him look old and tired, and in all honest truth he was old, hell, Percy would go as far as to say he was absolutely ancient.
The worst part was the way the skin naturally emphasised the scars upon his body.
Running from left to right across his well-toned stomach was a thin, almost silver scar like the trail of a shooting star from when Percy had battled the Minotaur after setting up a small lair in the Arden forest in France several centuries ago, and had failed to doge said monsters battle-axe. Another scar, which consisted of three parallel lines running down Percy's right Pectoral that dug painfully deeper as they dragged further down his chest until bone could be seen running clearly underneath the scar tissue, the bottom half of the injury obscured underneath the ghost white bandages he had been forced to use after breaking his ribs several days ago. They had been a gift from a rather tenacious and large hellhound whilst he was helping the British drive back a detachment of German soldiers during the first world war.
Also, running down the inside of his right arm was a long, thick and ugly scar that looked like a filled in trench more than anything from the way the skin hideously bulged out from the rest of his skin from when he had been forced to cut open his own arm in order to reset the broken bone underneath that had already torn the skin like a knife through hot butter. It still ached from time to time, a dull, but only slightly painful ache that served as another reminder to always be vigilant and always be ready. His back was also a mess of several arrow and sword puncture marks as well as many slashes and burns...
All of which lead to his major injury from his time as Saladin. The top of Percy's left shoulder was completely burnt beyond all definition of the word horrific. The skin still seemed to blister and bubble even almost one thousand years after that bitch's legacy had thrown him into that hell-hole. There were a few bits and pieces of ghost white skin streaking through the injury like small rivers through the mountains or stretches of lands in-between the dark, agitated red skin that was left after the burning piece of wood was finally removed from his shoulder.
Percy winced slightly at the memory...slowly loosing himself in a maelstrom of thoughts, self-pity and loathing...and also hatred.
'But there is nothing I can do about it now.' He snarled
After snapping himself out of his own mind, Percy clicked his fingers casually, causing all of the shadows in the room to bend towards their master, bending their very existence to his will. Slowly, the wrapped around him like a cloth of shadows, covering his pasty skin with a layer of shadow as black as a person's worst nightmare, creeping like a thief through the night until all but his head was covered.
Slowly, the shadows began to melt away, slowly forming various items of clothing. The first was a pair of dark blue denim jeans, a colour that Percy had only just managed to figure out how to create. Unlike many people, his jeans were neither to large or small, giving him both room for manoeuvrability whilst not making him look larger than he actually was. Next formed a pair of black socks and Converse all-stars (a brand Percy had come to love over the past few years), the logo and traditional white toe cap perfect to a T, making them look like something fresh out of a store and not the darkness surrounding him.
After that, Percy's regular upper body attire began to take shape. The first thing formed was a short sleeve, black shirt that clung to his frame nicely but was again neither too tight so that mobility and agility were impaired, and neither was it too large so it just looked ridiculous on him. Over the top of this slowly formed a black blazer that Percy could often be found wearing during his "down" time of late, giving him a somewhat refined and sophisticated look compared to most boys his own "age". Percy smiled slightly as he quickly gave himself a brush over to make sure that everything was both in its right place and also not overly scrunched up or creased.
Satisfied with the results, Percy jumped down from the second tier of his bedroom before proceeding into the hallways of his father's palace.
(15 minutes later, The Gardens of Persephone)
The gardens of Persephone were arguably the most beautiful location in the planet in Percy's opinion. They stretched for only a couple of hundred metres either way but no matter if you sat on the borders or in the very heart of the garden, the beauty of even the smallest of things was undeniable...and made even more beautiful by those with an appreciation of the natural world.
Unlike most places of similar beauty on the planet, the gardens of Percy's mother were mostly not organic, but instead made of countless jewels and metals, from celestial bronze to platinum, rubies to amethysts, the majority of the garden was made up of countless gems and metals that one could not even begin to calculate the worth of.
Bushes were comprised of celestial bronze leaves that glistened in the torchlight like they were forever coated in a morning dew whilst branches of silver thread through the leaves like a spider's thread but glow in the light like streaks of light. Blueberries were replaced with tiny sapphires, each worth a fortune in its own right, each one a dark blue, a swirling maelstrom of colour like the oceans themselves. Cherries were replaced with countless rubies that were as crimson as the blood flowing through Percy's veins whilst other metals such as platinum and gold created trees of untold beauty as they glinted in the torchlight, providing them with an ethereal, almost god like aura that simply stunned anyone who had truly seen it into silence.
The ponds of gems and diamonds compared to the few organic plants Persephone had planted in her garden, several of which Percy had spotted as he walked through the area. One which was known as "Moonlace", Percy's favourite plant. A simple yet elegant plant with long, silver petals and a verdant green stalk that simply shimmered ethereally under the light of the torches nearby. Originally from the garden island of Ogygia, Moonlace typically did not glow unless underneath pure moonlight, but with the help of Percy, Persephone had managed to change the effects so it simply emitted its glow at all times...a soft, silver glow that simply radiated clam and encourage the collection of thoughts.
That was why Percy loved it so much. It helped the young man clam himself and slowly collect his scattered thoughts whilst helping him push the torturous past into the darkest corners of his mind for a while. Unlike Percy the plant was simple, it's needs were simple and it did nothing foolish. It simply lived out its life peacefully whilst spreading a little beauty into the world.
"My polar opposite. I'm complex and difficult, I'm never clear with my needs and I have had anything but a peaceful and light bringing life in my time..." Percy whispered sadly as he continued his trek across the Gardens . The plant also served to bring back some slightly happier memories of a very good friend that Percy was perfectly happy to remain lost in until he finally reached the double doors of nightmare black Obsidian that lead to the grand hall.
The huge doors swung open silently, which to this day still surprised Percy given the lack of maintenance he swore the place received, and yet the doors managed to open silently and the great hall continued to look as awe-inspiring and fabulous as ever.
The hall itself was some seventy metres long. Huge arching walls of nightmare black obsidian sprung forth from the very bedrock foundation like trees as they slowly began to curve over like the arches of many great cities, giving the ceiling a somewhat circular look to it. Upon said ceiling were hundreds of scenes from human history displaying many great battles, a vast majority of which Percy had either fought in or commanded one of the armies, were emblazoned onto the ceiling in silver and gold which seemed to flicker and shimmer in the torchlight of the great hall, making the scenes almost appear alive if one stood and stared long enough at the images. A long, black mahogany table flowed to the opposite end of the room whilst red and black chairs numbering in their tens if not hundred down either side.
At the head of the table sat a man and Percy's mother, Persephone. Even though he was a great distance away Percy could tell that the man was smiling as he stood up whilst his queen took his arm.
"Percy!" He called in a cold sounding voice. Percy smiled as he got his first look of his farther in what had been a very long time. '
The lord of the underworld, Hades, stood a little shorter than his adopted son at about 6'0, wearing a nightmare black suit with a blood-red shirt underneath whilst forgetting any sort of tie so he could leave his top button undone. His skin was as white as fallen snow like Percy's a long time ago. His frame was exactly like his sons, somewhat thin but extremely powerful.
His chin and jaw seemed to be chiselled to perfection, looking more like something you would find on a statue as opposed to a living, breathing person. His cheeks were slightly gaunt and looked drawn and deflated somewhat, and despite looking slightly old it also suited the man incredibly well, almost as if it were an attempt to emphasise who he ruled over. His forehead was perfectly positioned and proportional to the rest of his body. His lips were thin and seemed slightly pursed, whilst also tapering into a somewhat evil smile, whilst his eyes...well his irises technically may well have not existed as they were as terrifyingly black as even the darkest of shadows or the deepest, darkest depths of one's own mind... nothing else compared to the black hollow look one could see when they stared into those eyes.
And yet they somehow managed to almost brighten with joy as the man raced forwards and almost crushed Percy in a hug. "Welcome back my son." He whispered in his ear as he pulled him tighter into the huge bear hug.
Percy could only crack a smile before replying,
"Good to see you to."
"Father."
(Half an hour later)
Percy sat with his mother and father at the far end of the table, letting out a small satisfied sigh at the fact he had finally eaten his first proper breakfast in a long time, something his grandmother would scold him about at some point Percy knew for certain.
His father sat there with a small smile on his face, enjoying the company of the son he constantly thrust into danger just to save the world and prepare him for his fate. Hades and his wife had sat through the past half an hour listening to their sons tails and trials as he told them all about what had transpired whilst he was "out and about." But even though both of his parents radiated happiness, Percy could tell that deep down something was worrying his mother whilst his father looked anxious to ask his son something.
After several seconds of an uncomfortable silence, Percy finally spoke up.
"Father, if there is something you wish to ask, go ahead." He stated it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hades's face changed to one of surprise whilst his mother's turned slightly angry.
"My boy, I wish I could let you rest here for a couple of days but I must ask a small favour of you first." But before he could even state what it was he wished from his son, Persephone literally exploded with rage.
"No Hades. He has just gotten back from almost a CENTURY of cleaning up the God's mistakes and that of their idiotic children. He needs to rest and recover for a while! You can send the three Furies after them but not Percy, I will NOT allow you to put him at risk again after he has just come home!" Persephone screamed the last part, a few tears slowly streaking down her face like raindrops on a car-door window whilst her cheeks burned red in anger.
Percy moved around the table and embraced his mother in a tight hug. "Mum, I will not go if it is something long and stupid, but if it is a short little trip I'll do it and be back before dinner. I promise." Percy whispered in his distraught mothers ear as she took several moments to calm herself before finally nodding her head in agreement.
Percy kissed his mother on the head and whispered a thank-you before turning back to his somewhat surprised father.
"Farther, if what you ask is short and sweet then I will go. If not I would like to ask someone else to take the job for me. I have not seen you or mum in a long time and I feel like I have some catching up to do: that and I'd actually like to have a chance to rest and relax for a while. "
Hades smiled and nodded before replying, "Do not worry my boy, all you need to do is go pick up your new little brother and sister."
At this news, Percy's face lit up as a massive smile that threatened to tear his lips from his face spread out across it.
"Wait do you mean..." But before he could finish his question, Hades cut off the stuttering Percy with a wide smile and a small nod, "
Yes Percy, Bianca and Nico are now out of the lotus hotel and I was hoping you would go pick them up..." The lord of the dead asked with a small grin creeping across his face. Percy took several seconds to clear his head before speaking.
"Where and when am I going?"
"A military academy in Maine and you leave immediately. Alecto has all of the information you will need. But be warned. A "quest" from those infernal fools at that silly little camp are going to try to swipe them tonight..." Hades face warped into one of hate alongside his son at the mention of the silly little camp before continuing,"... so be prepared to fight, but avoid killing anyone please. I don't want to have to explain to anyone why their child will be going home to that stupid camp in pieces..."
Percy let an evil grin creep across his face before speaking in an ice-cold voice to his father,
"I'll go get my stuff then...but be warned...", Percy snarled, " I make no promises, if those fools get in my way or threaten my sister and brother's lives..."
"I will kill them."
(En Route to the Academy)
Percy sat in the back of a long, sheik and expensive Lexus. The interior was basic combination of a dark chocolate like brown and a nightmare black. Extra features were fairly limited save for an in-car phone and a built-in sat-nav as the car itself rarely saw any usage because most of Percy's family used shadow travel or other such means of getting around.
But according to the Fury Alecto, "Your father has ordered us to go by car to mask your power otherwise those fools from camp half-blood may try to take you back with them or even capture you." She had informed him as they set out in her typically raspy sounding voice.
Percy sighed heavily as he began to flick through the last few details of the school he was going to go and "break out" his little brother and sister from.
Bianca and Nico D'Angelo were Percy's only two living siblings, even if they should've now been in old age given the fact that they were born in the earlier part of the 1900's. Percy had made the extra time to ensure that he could come back to the States to help move them into the Lotus Hotel and casino with the help of his father and Alecto.
Several years ago whilst Percy was back out on the open road, his father had moved the two of them to several boarding schools over the years before finally sending them to their current school, Westover military academy.
Since the information his father had passed him was brief, Percy had looked up the school on the internet using his phone on the journey there. Founded at the end of the nineteenth century, the Academy was designed to create the next generation of military officers for the American armed forces. But now in keeping with the modern principles of a "military academy", the school was now more focused on "rehabilitating" more troublesome members of today's youth.
The plan that Percy had come up with was so simple it was almost insulting.
The academy was holding its annual end of semester party in the main school gym. That meant there would be a lot of mortals in the room so Percy had plenty of cover to operate under or places to lose those foolish demigods that would dare try to take his little brother and sister from him. Also, he would be able to use simple mist modification to fool the mortals into thinking they knew him so that he could blend in with them even more. So all he would have to do is find his little brother and sister then carefully pick his way out through the crowds and get into the waiting car, which for all intents and purposes was a simple plan.
Percy let out a small sigh as he placed the black folder onto the seat next to him before staring out of the slightly frosted window, the ice clouding some of the outside scenery, but serving to only add to its mystery and beauty.
Like most of northern America during the winter, Maine suffered from heavy snow fall that would blanket the world in an endless white shroud, the snow sometimes so white and perfect that it was almost as white and smooth as the "skin" of a ghost, whilst gently reflecting the sun, causing the small ice crystals to glisten and glint like strobe lighting in the setting sun. Trees looked as if all of the life had been sucked from their very cores as they frosted over and offered no resistance, the ice simply creeping up the trunk as if the tree had lost the very will to live, soon turning them into gigantic frozen popsicles that littered the frozen wastes or creating dead and frozen forests that were once places alive with the sounds of gentle bird songs and the rustle of foxes through fallen leaves. Now they were nothing more than frozen husks...adding an eerie beauty to the frozen landscape of Maine.
Percy smiled lightly to himself. It was the first time in many, many years that he had actually been happy to see the snow. For many years Percy had feared the arrival of winter in all its beauty and cruelty as it disrupted operation after operation after operation, sometimes almost costing him an entire decades worth of work in mere hours or days. It was the one thing that he had learnt to fear over the years. Winter could either help you turn the tide of an entire campaign or long, drawn out battle...
Or cause you to crash to defeat.
Percy continued to brood as he ran possible scenarios through his mind as to how things may go down at the academy. All of a sudden, after what seemed like an age, the in-car phone began ringing, an old-school ring that you'd expect to find on a 50's phone. Percy sighed as he went to answer the phone, but he was cut off by Alecto who snatched the small, black receiver out of its cradle before placing the device firmly between her shoulder-blade and left ear. The fury spent less than a minute on the phone talking to whoever it was on the other end in hushed tones and whispers than even Percy could not pick up.
Eventually, Alecto put the phone down and sighed.
'Whatever she's just been talking about is really bad news...after all she is NOT one for subtlety.' Percy continued to race through possible scenarios until the fury spoke up.
"Percy, that was your father on the phone." Immediately Percy tensed. His father NEVER had any real direct hand in any of Percy's missions, even just passing him information was left to the Furies or other various ghosts and human like monsters from the underworld. So whatever the news was, it had to be bad.
After several awkwardly silent seconds, Percy finally spoke up, "What's happened? Are Bianca and Nico okay?" His voice was becoming more and more filled with worry with each and every passing syllable. Alecto shook her head before speaking.
"No your brother and sister are absolutely fine...it's just things may have just gotten a whole lot more complicated." Percy relaxed slightly knowing that his brother and sister were safe, but he knew that something major was still wrong. After a deep breath, Percy finally spoke up again.
"So what's happened Alecto? Has Zeus sent extra fools to help the camp weaklings that he has sent against my father's children?" Percy growled out the second part. Again the Fury shook her head, a small grimace creeping across her face before she found the courage to speak.
"He's sent the Hunters."
(One hour later, Westover military Academy, North Wing Corridor, Main Staircase.)
"Of fucking course, something ALWAYS has to go wrong when I go on missions." Percy snarled as he bounded up the wooden old stair cases of the Academy's north wing. Percy continued cussing constantly under his breath, using a mixture of Greek and English as his footsteps echoed loudly as he continued sprinting up the stairs as he replayed the whole scenario through his mind over and over.
Things had been going perfectly well to begin with. Two of the Academy's teachers, some French woman and one Doctor Thorn had questioned him as to who he was and what he was doing in the school. Percy had used a quick bit of mist manipulation to simply pass by their little interrogation as he jogged to the main sports hall.
The hall itself was some hundred metres long and about as wide, if not slightly more. Scattered around the room were young boys wearing their Academy dress uniforms, a black pair of trousers and shoes with a black jacket emblazoned on the shoulders with the slightly puffed up white shoulder pads. The buttons down the front of the jacket were an ivory like white that looked incredibly smart but not overly flashy whilst the Academy's coat of arms was stitched onto the jackets breast pocket. Whereas the girls were wearing an assortment of luxurious gowns and dresses that varied in colours, turning the hall into a plethora of colours that swayed and moved like an ocean of mixed paints and colours. It was rather impressive.
Percy immediately set about the task of locating the three demigods that Zeus had ordered to "save" from the possibility of a monster attack. "The only monster they would have to worry about is you Zeus..." Percy had snarled as he continued to move amongst the dancers and socialites of the party, blending in to the crowds effortlessly after using the mist to alter his appearance, turning his skin to a light tan colour without the scars to all but the most perceptive of people.
The three "heroes" were easily identifiable from everyone else. After all, they stood out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else...well to a trained individual like Perseus at least.
The first one he spotted was a girl who he easily identified as a daughter of Athena. She had blond, curly hair that flowed effortlessly down to her shoulders and stormy grey eyes that seemed to analyse everything in seconds. Her skin was tanned perfectly, instantly painting her as a Californian girl, and given that Percy's fathers realm's entrance was in LA, he could spot a Californian girl a mile away.
The next one was an arrogant looking boy of around the same age as Percy (physically at least.) He was tall-ish at around 5'11 but he was rather thin and weak looking. He tried to compensate for this by trying to look "cool" with overly gelled up hair and a cocky smirk that Percy would've loved to just wipe from his face...but he was under orders not to hurt the fools so he left him alone... until he noticed the colour of his eyes...
Sea-green.
'A son of Poseidon.' Percy hissed to himself in the back of his mind.
It had been a long time since he had seen another child of his birth father...and as always, this one proved to be a pathetic imitation of his greater sons such as Percy himself or Theseus. Shaking his head he quickly assed that the boy was clearly physically weak and pathetically weak in terms of demigod power. At least he would be no trouble.
The last girl, however, caught Percy's eye.
She was clearly either leading the quest or the most experienced, judging by the way that she actually had some success blending in. She would use crowds as cover and mist manipulation to try to appear like she was part of a larger group, but her power only stretched so far so it was only believable at first glance. However her simple party trick was hardly going to affect Percy. Her hair was cut short and set into an array of spikes that almost made her look like she had a hedgehog on her head. Her frame was slight and she was fairly short at about 5'8, but there was no denying that she had a powerful aura that indicated one of two possibilities to Percy...but his theory was confirmed when he saw her eyes.
Electrical blue.
'A daughter of Zeus as well? I guess Hestia was right when she said that most male gods can't keep it in their trousers...' Percy snickered to himself briefly before seizing up the girl. It was true that she did seem very powerful, but the fact that she was still young meant her power was simply not even on the same planet as Percy...so at least he wouldn't really have to hurt them if he needed to fight them over his siblings.
But the moment he stop his observations was the moment things started to go horribly wrong.
Percy had been searching fruitlessly for several minutes when his attention was procured by the weak legacy of Poseidon who informed his partners in crime that "The weird Doc guy is making off with Hades' spawn!".
At just those words Percy almost lost control as he resisted the urge to walk up to the weakling and simply smash his face into several pieces of furniture for daring to insult his siblings.
But the news that they had been taken by someone overrode that insult as Percy quickly crashed out of the main hall and into the cold stone hallways of the Academy's north wing in an effort to cut the bastards off. But unfortunately for Percy it appeared the Gods had decided to shit in his luck bucket again as he only just caught sight of the three measly demigods bounding around a corner, hot in pursuit of the bastard who had his brother and sister.
Percy set of at a decent paced run, hoping to keep an eye on the group but also to help maintain enough distance so that he could keep to the shadows and remain hidden.
He followed the fools like this for several minutes until they finally crashed out of a door, weapons in hand.
"Those idiots! If they DARE attack that beast whilst my sister and brother are at risk they had better hope their mummy's and daddy's are close by or I'll rip them to pieces." Percy growled to himself as he bolted towards the little door that the group had crashed out of. Instinctively he raised his shoulder as he collided with the door. But what he had not expected to occur was for the wooden door to be torn from its hinges in an explosion of wooden shrapnel and screeching metal the moment he collided with it until he was outside.
He had crashed out into a small field blanketed in a thick layer of snow. About one hundred metres to his left lay a dead looking forest, the trees like popsicles and their branches like icicles. In the middle of said field resided the three fools from the "quest", each with their respective weaponry drawn. The daughter of Athena a small yet efficient looking combat dagger, the child of Poseidon wielding a sword and the daughter of Zeus wielding a nasty looking spear that crackled with lightning as it danced and jumped up and down the shaft whilst a copy of Athena's shield, Aegis, sat comfortable in her left hand.
Percy smirked, sure they looked like they at least knew how to use their weapons but so did the group of fifteen or twenty monsters surrounding them.
Percy actually laughed a little as he slowly began to summon the shadows to his side, quickly peeling them from wherever they were hiding until they formed their customary blanket around his form until they settled and slowly began to form Percy's personal combat armour. Slowly, the lower portion of the armour began to take shape.
First came the boots. In keeping with his Saladin armour, the boots were made of light-weight, nightmare black Stygian iron alloy. The leg guards that followed suit were adorned with images of pain and battle that would sicken even the stoutest of warriors if they paid heed to them for too long, each one emblazoned in silver and flowed the chest piece. Like the rest of the armour, the chest piece was emblazoned with hellish images of battle in silver and gold, making them more than pronounced enough for all to see, the armour taking on a more greek feel as the piece clung to Percy's figure well, making him look larger than he already was as well as a hell of a lot more intimidating.
Then came the helm.
Unlike many people in Percy's position, he refused to use a standard Greek helmet, claiming that, like their Roman counterparts , they were not intimidating enough... and that was the main function of Percy's helmet. To intimidate the poor fools who thought themselves capable of standing up to the crown prince of the underworld. Shaped like a screaming skull, Percy's helm held nothing but hatred and fury in its look, instilling fear into his enemy's hearts, and like the rest of the armour it was a pitch black Stygian Iron alloy that Percy had spent months planning and trying to perfect... but the effect was more than impressive.
The first monster to notice him, an Emposeua almost frightened Percy at the terrified scream it let out when it saw his armour. The quest members looked around in shock like the rest of the monsters at the creature before almost jumping out of their skin at the sight of Percy in his armour.
Percy let out a small laugh as the figure holding his two siblings tried to order the lesser monsters to attack.
"You cannot stop me, Dr. Thorne. I will be leaving here with the boy and girl and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" He shouted over to the cowering monster in Ancient Greek as he slowly headed towards the monsters. Finally one of the three giants there developed enough courage to let out a week war cry as it raced forwards to try to attack Percy, who summoned his first weapon to his side.
There was a slight shaking like the beginning of an earthquake until a gap opened up in the very earth itself. The monster froze and watched on in horror as a ghostly hand thrust a nightmare black spear up into Percy's waiting hand, the shadows that danced around the blade echoing the screams of agony of those Percy had slew with the weapon.
Without waiting for the Giant to resume his charge, Percy simply hurled the weapon at the dumbstruck giant, sending the tip of the spear straight through the creatures chest cavity.
It didn't even get to cry out in agony before disintegrating into a golden, snow like dust that tainted the perfectly white landscape. But the weapon then continued its path as if it hadn't even struck a thing as it slammed into the second and third giants, repeating the same effect until it finally came to a rest, some forty metres from where Percy had just thrown it. Everyone and everything looked at the beast before them. The majority of the Emposeua surrounding the three demigods suddenly broke formation and headed straight for Percy, desperate to try and bring him down before he could do any more damage.
Percy smiled as he held out his hand again until a Greek style, Stygian iron and steel blade shot out from the ground, the steel snaking through the sea of black in an intricate pattern that also gave the added benefits of having mortal steel in the blade.
When the first Emposeua tried to strike Percy by simply thrusting its blade forwards, Percy ducked under the blade at the last second with a unbelievable amount of speed and grace. As he came up inside the creatures guard, Percy delivered a vicious uppercut that cracked the foul animals jaw like a twig over a knee. He then capitalised on the beasts agony by wrapping its neck into the crook of his left arm as he quickly danced the blade to his right hand.
Another Emposeua behind the first tried to race forwards to help its sister, eager to taste victory by slaying the mysterious warrior. But it was instead met with death's cold embrace as Percy pirouetted on his left leg, bringing his blade down in a vicious arc with impossible speed and accuracy as he sliced the monsters head open, simply disintegrating it into dust whilst viciously jerking his left arm, causing a sickening crack to emanate from the first Emposeua as its neck snapped like a stick in Percy's vice-like grip.
A third and fourth enemy raced towards Percy, who ducked under their swiping strikes, only to deliver one of his own with surgical precision, cutting the two creatures in half as they quickly turned into two piles of sickly golden dust. His speed was like that of a viper, and as such the end result of that combat seemed to surprise no-one.
Percy's fifth enemy paled greatly when Percy looked at it, almost to the point Percy felt he could probably just say "boo!" and it would faint. But in keeping with his speed and grace, Percy grabbed the monsters sword arm wrist before crushing it in a vice like grip. The monster howled in agony before Percy twisted it's sword on itself and drove it home to ruthless effect, causing the glowing Celestial bronze blade to explode from the monster's back in a shower of golden dust before being withdrawn and dropped to the floor by a madly cackling son of Hades.
'Gods this is too fucking easy! I was expecting some kind of challenge. This is just absolutely pathetic really: you'd think that after millennia alive, these things would be able to fight a little bit better than this.'
As Percy looked to his last few opponents, he caught a small glimpse out of the corner of his left eye of a small streak of silver. Percy bit back a curse, instead saving it for his mind.
'Fucking hell! Why now? I better get over there and deal with this Doc guy, I'm sure the hunters can take care of the rest.' Percy smiled slightly as his entire body melted away into shadows as back as night before quickly manifesting behind a terrified Doctor Thorne...
"Wazz' up Doc?"
(Zoe Nightshade's P.O.V)
As much as Zoe Nightshade, Lieutenant of Artemis, hated to admit it, the male who had just appeared to help the group from that silly little camp was incredibly skilful and seemingly rather damned powerful.
Zoe and her sisters had looked on in utter awe at the speed and grace of the man. One second he was darting underneath the wild slash of a single Emposeua, the next second he was slicing two in half after already splitting one's skull open and snapping another's neck. It was, for all intents and purposes both terrifying and amazing at the same time. He fought with a speed and grace that no mortal should have been capable of: even though
Terrifying because Zoe knew deep down that this individual could tear the vast majority of her sisters to shreds without even breaking a sweat. After all he was practically bored out of his own mind in-between his kills. He was simply playing around with the poor monsters and they knew it. Zoe knew it too... and she absolutely dreaded to think how skilled and merciless he truly was when he took a fight seriously.
But Zoe was also amazing based around how effortless and graceful the male made each and every one of his moves look. His speed was on par and surpassed many hunters whilst his agility was easily greater than the most elegant of dancers or the most brilliant gymnasts. His strength was like that of ten men, hurling a spear through several giants with ease and crushing an Emposeua bones like they were meer twigs.
"Not bad for a male, huh?" Zoe heard her oldest friend, Phoebe ask as she looked out over the mysterious warriors warpath with a mix of appreciation and surprise. The lieutenant of the hunt could not help herself as she let a small chuckle escape before replying to her oldest friend,
"I think you may be love-struck by the boy." Phoebe looked at Zoe with a murderous glare to which Zoe could only laugh at even more as her friend slowly pulled her bow from her back...
"He may be good but we should really show him how it's done." Phoebe said with an evil grin slowly playing across her face.
Zoe smirked slightly as she drew her own bow from her back...
"I could not agree with you more Phoebe."
(Percy's P.O.V)
Several terrified yells were all that signalled the end of the Emposeua Percy had left for the hunt as he summoned his spear back to his side.
Dr Thorn growled as his body slowly began to change into its monster form. Slowly, a furry main appeared around the man's neck as his arms slowly began to bend more at the elbows. His legs also bent like dogs as fur began to cover his entire body whilst a slimy, scorpion tail slowly weaselled its way out of his rear. After several more seconds the transformation was complete. Thorn no longer existed...but instead, one of Percy's first quests stood before him.
"Ahhhh Manticore, how long has it been? You look good. Less... dead." Percy taunted to the monster whose eyes caught ablaze as he finally realised who his assailant was.
"Impossible! Mortals lives are short and pathetic! You cannot possibly be alive...unless..." But Percy cut him off with a curt wave of his hand before speaking again.
"Listen Manticore. You'd better let my siblings go or I swear I will shove your tail down your throat and make you eat poison spikes for an eternity." Percy growled as he shifted his grip on his spear, ready to react to any situation.
The monster let out a deep growl from its throat before simply dropping a terrified Bianca and a petrified Nico and dropping its head before charging at Percy. The old warrior smiled as he simply let his body melt into shadows, reappearing right behind the foul monster, driving his spear into the Manticores leg, causing it to howl out in utter agony as the spears time smashed straight through bone and cut through flesh like a knife through hot butter before slamming into the ground, holding the creature in place.
"I'm glad to see all of this time hasn't changed your style one little bit my friend." Percy snarled as his sword reappeared in his grasp.
Just as Percy readied himself to drive the blade downwards, the monster shot several poisonous spikes from its tail, forcing Percy to dive to the right and out of the projectiles path.
"Oh you are so going to pay for that, little lion man!" Percy snarled as he picked himself up and made his way over to the creature.
But just as he was about to, a rather short girl at around 5'6 raced over to Thorn's head, her upper body clad in a silver Parker whilst her face remained hidden under a hood. Her bow was raised and a gleaming silver arrow notched, ready to fire.
"Permission to kill milady?' The girl asked in a slightly accented voice that caused Perseus' eyes to widen in absolute shock.
'I know that voice!'
But before anyone could say another word, the poor girl was cut off as Thorn let out a blood curdling roar, swiping the slightly framed girl in one of his massive hands before sprinting towards the cliff edge before simply tumbling off.
Before he even knew what his body was doing, Percy was racing towards the cliff edge, his mind racing as he drew to within only several metres of the drop, the voice of the girl all too familiar for him to leave her to die on the chance that it wasn't one of his oldest friends.
'Let's just hope I'm right, not too late and that her ladyship doesn't kill me for doing this.' He whispered in the back of his mind as he reached the edge of the cliff...
And threw himself off.
A/N:
And this seems like as good a place as any to stop.
Like I said above, not too much has changed really this chapter, as I think most of the things that needed work were minor. The updated fight-scene won't be anything spectacular, but just different so that the section flows better; something that I could never really fix in the original. As such, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter: good, bad and ugly. After all, it's the only way I can keep on improving !
But for now, I'd like to quickly shift my focus from this story and to my other works. 'The Jackal of the Grigori' and 'Code: DxD Potter' are two of my favourite stories to write, and as such will receive the Lion's share of the time in terms of writing and what not. I like to think that they are both very accessible stories that anyone can enjoy, especially if you like my work in general, which is another reason I'm focusing on them so much.
But as with any work I produce, I'm always looking to expand my audience, and as such I would love it if you guys could go support my other stories. I want to become one of the biggest and best writers on this site, and for that to happen I need you guys to help me out: be it offering words of encouragement or in-depth criticism, or simply offering up a fave or follow!
You guys are the reason I write: I love to entertain and provide people with an enjoyable experience. And the more feedback and support I can get for each story, the better they'll get thanks to the positive energy and useful critique I'll be given. I know it sounds silly, but I do appreciate even the smallest shows of support, so please do take the time to take a look at my other works, it'd mean a lot to me!
Any ways, I need to go, as I have my secret FF7 project to work on and another chapter of Code: DxD Potter to finish up!
Peace folks,
Mantis.
