A/N: I don't own Percy Jackson. I wish I did but I don't. Read and review
PERCY'S POV
Pain. That's the feeling that dominated my mind right now. Immense pain, coming from all over my body. Dammit, wasn't the one good thing about dying meant that you felt no pain again? I lay there, silently fuming and cursing Hades in all kinds of ways. No peace even in the Afterlife.
A voice sounded in the background, but I couldn't comprehend anything. I tried to open my eyes to see the source of that sound, but the pain was too much, and suddenly I passed out.
When I woke next, it felt like a lot of time had passed. The pain had reduced a bit, so it must have been a while. My head was throbbing, whole body felt heavy like it was made of lead and it felt like there were pins embedded into my joints. Hmph, at least it's bearable when compared to some of the other things in life. It's no Gorgon's Blood. That thing was nasty.
It took me a full 5 minutes to stand up. Once I was standing, the events of what happened right before I blacked out struck me like a bulldozer. Annabeth..!!
My mind started running at top speed thinking about where I was, what happened to Annabeth, what happened to the war with Gaia, and what the hell happened to me after I fell out? "Ugh" I winced, holding my head. Dammit, I'm getting a headache.
I put my thoughts aside as my training kicked in, and I took stock of my surroundings. It was dark, and I was standing on a hard, black marble floor. No wonder it didn't feel comfortable lying on it.
I was in some kind of.. room? I couldn't make out how far away the walls were, but it kind of felt like a room. Or a dome. No colour, no decor, just a pitch black room.
'Huh, you have a near death experience or might actually be dead, your body is in immense pain, you are in an unknown place with no clue as to how you got here or how you might leave, and all you can think about is how the room looks?.' Jeez, no wonder Annabeth get's irritated at me when I space out. I blame genetics. Yep, ADHD sucks.
I was brought out of my musings by a voice that sounded like someone clearing their throat. I turned towards the sound and saw a platinum throne that held a man that looked nearly 25 feet tall.
He looked no older than 30, had a long black beard, with silver wings protruding from his back. He had coppery skin and dark golden eyes that radiated with power. He was wearing a jet black 3 piece suit that looked super expensive, 500,000 drachma expensive.
Damn, this guy, whoever he may be, had good taste.
I caught myself again. 'Sure, don't focus on the 25 foot tall man, focus on the suit instead. Gah, where are my priorities.'
Also, How the hades did I not see him before?
I swear it felt like the man just appeared out of nowhere.
He looked at me in silent apprehension, and I felt as though every fibre of my being was being put under a microscope. He was evaluating me, as if to consider weather all of this was worth his time and effort.
'Well I'll wait to hear him out first, no need to ruin my chances by speaking something stupid.' he thought to himself. Wise move, Annabeth would approve.
After 2 more painful minutes of careful scrutiny, before I started to shrink in his gaze, he finally spoke.
"Hello Perseus Jackson. Welcome to my realm." he intoned. His voice was old and yet resonated with power and experience. It was deep and masculine.
Damn, I wish I could sound that good.' Realm, huh? Must be a God then?
But he sure felt different. Heck, even Zeus and his father wouldn't compare to this man's aura. Even the Giants felt weak compared to this. The only time he felt such power was when Gaea spoke to him.
'Someone closer to her power then? Who?'
Well, might as well ask the man himself.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to bring as much politeness to my voice as I could.
"Straight to it then." he spoke in an amused tone. "Very well then. I am Chronos, and I'm..."
I cut him off, shaking my head violently, a tinge of fear entering my voice," No, no you can't have reformed and awoken so soon. It shouldn't be possible. Also your aura is much stronger than Kronos."
"Ugh...another mortal confusing me with that stupid and puny nephew of mine." he muttered angrily and then said, "No I'm not that weak Titan. He is a nephew of mine. I'm Chronos with a C and an H. Do you know who I am?"
I was rummaging through my head to place this new information. 'Chronos? Sound awfully close to Kronos. However he did say that Kronos is his nephew. If Kronos is his nephew then he must be a primordial god which would explain the power that he possesses. So his powers rival that of Gaea?. Which primordial have we not met yet. Nyx, Tartarus, and Gaea we know. Ouranos isn't around anymore and the man did say nephew, not child. Percy mused as he looked at the man again. This time, he registered a few more details.
'He has a sand hour glass floating near him…that scythe on his back. Time, death, a primordial…name sounds like Kronos..could it be more than just the name that confuses people..? Powers maybe…but what…Time?…' And suddenly, it all fit into place.
"You are Chronos, aren't you, the primordial god of time?" I said, bowing my head in respect.
"Well done Perseus." He said in a pompous voice that sounded awfully like Zeus. He then winked and laughed, which caught me off-guard. ' An entity a thousand times stronger than Zeus, and without an attitude? This is unbelievable.'
Silence reigned for a few minutes. Neither of us spoke a word. He looked like he was waiting for me to process the information. Finally, I decided to take things at face value and spoke," Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"I know what you want to ask Perseus.".
"What? How?" I asked.
"You seem to forget that I'm a primordial god Perseus Jackson." He then went on to murmur something that awfully sounded like," He may be strong and brave but is certainly not the brightest."
He then decided to answer my unspoken questions," First things first, you are currently in my realm. You fell out of the Death Elevator and would have ended up back in Tartarus and the fall would have killed you. I brought you to my realm so that you didn't die so you can thank me whenever you feel like it." he said with a smirk.
"Second, you needn't worry about the status of your friends. They are alive and well…kind of safe. Before you ask why they aren't completely safe, let me remind you that they're demigods. They live in constant danger. However, things aren't going well for anyone except Gaia and her sons."
I felt offended that he would think so. Before I could retort back, he lifted his hand and stopped me.
"Let me finish!" he admonished me. "You Percy. No matter what you may think, you all are not strong enough to win this war. If I were to send you back to the time you just came from, this would happen in less than a month from then."
He then snapped his fingers and I saw a scene near the Parthenon in Greece. The ground was charred black, smoke filled the air and people's screams could be heard in the distance. But what shocked me most, was a small field that was filled with bodies. The dead bodies of the gods and demigods, with golden ichor and red blood splayed everywhere. 'This was their final stand.' he realised as a feeling of dread enveloped him. 'We lost everything. Everyone. It was a massacre…'
He continued in a dark tone," As you can see, at your current strength, you are destined to lose. After this, the world will suffer for millennia. Gaia will awaken due to the blood spilt on this field. Once they recover, the Olympians will be banished to Tartarus, and will slowly start to loose their power as the toll from loosing Greece and Olympus both hits them. Humans will be eradicated from the Earth, with extreme and swift prejudice. Gaia will then give all the nature beings dwelling on her surface a choice, kneel to her and her Giant spawn and serve them, or suffer her wrath as she overturns everything to begin anew. The Fates will become powerless, their threads meaningless without the humans and demigods, and will eventually waste away. Gaia and her spawn will rule unchallenged. The world as you know it Perseus, will disappear forever."
To say I was shocked would be a gross understatement. It shook me to my very core. I looked at the scene again and could not tear my eyes away from the field full of bodies. How could this happen?..
I then turned to Chronus. "Surely there has to be another way? Why show me all of this when I couldn't avoid it? Was it all useless, all the training, defeating Kronos, loosing Annabeth, freeing death and uniting the camps, getting that blasted statue and surviving Tartarus, all of it was for naught?! After all of that, we will still lose?!!" my voice slowly rising, desperation and fear slowly turning into frustration and rage. I was trembling with rage, my aura reacting to it as strained to lash out.
He just looked at me with somber eyes, not saying anything but letting me vent. I kept pacing back in forth, fuming and hurling obscenities, unable to stand still even though my body hurt. My mind was reeling from what I'd just seen and heard.
After about 10 minutes, he held up his hand and I finally stopped my tirade.
"Perseus, I understand what you are feeling right now, but listen to me, and listen well." he intoned, and I turned my full focus onto him, still fuming. His next words shocked me.
"What if I told you that you could prevent this from happening?
What if I told you that, not only this war, but you could also prevent the losses you had in the last war?
What would you be willing to do for that chance?"
I stilled. My heart threatened to explode. I felt hope. An insane rush of hope flooded me, followed by a steely determination.
"Anything. I will do anything" I spoke, my resolve clear in my voice. Heck, I'd jump into Tartarus and strangle the Pit if it would work.
He smiled finally, pleased to hear my answer and the resolve behind it.
"Very well then. Here is what I propose." he began, and I stood still, my entire focus on him. " I will give you eleven years, till the time you turn 18, to prepare for this war." he finished cryptically.
I blinked, confused. My emotions had just been put through a wringer and I failed to see why or how that would work.
I couldn't understand how I would turn 18 in 11 years as I knew I would be 18 before this summer ended. Or not even that. I would be dead apparently. Did he just joke with me?
I decided to voice my concern," Uhhh...I'm currently 17 and will turn 18 in August so..."
He just sat there looking bemused at what I said and cut me off by saying," Let me explain.", I went silent and he continued, "You see Perseus, in my realm, time doesn't pass. As such, you are currently not subjected to time. This realm exists everywhere and in every moment. You are both in time, and yet, outside of time. In more mortal terms, this would be something akin to what they call, 'Limbo'."
I kept staring at him silently, waiting for him to continue.
He smiled at my patience and rewarded me with the answer, "Tell me, If I could create an entire dimension of this kind with my powers, they would definitely allow me to send you back to when you were 7 year old boy, yes? That would give you 11 years, would it not?"
Oh…Realisation hit me in straight in the face. Of course he could, he's the primordial entity that rules all of time. He could send me back. It makes perfect sense.
"Ok but why are u sending me so far back in time? Didn't the Giant War begin just 2 years ago?"
"Perseus, how many lives were lost during the Titan war? How many mistakes have happened over the years that, if prevented, would give you a much better chance at winning today? " he spoke.
"Think young one, how could you benefit from having all this knowledge and experience at the age of 7 itself" he continued in a suggestive tone that asked me to think more deeply.
And I did. And I realised that it would be nothing short of priceless.
"Well if I'm going back when I'm 7 then I could go to camp half blood and start my training early." I voiced out my thoughts to him.
"That's the first smart thing you've said in all the time you've been here. Maybe there is still hope for you." he said with a smile, switching to a more lighter tone.
"Start training your powers as well.
"Reach camp before the third week of June begins Perseus. If you do, then you can prevent the death of your friend Thalia. The Fates will be mad at you for turning around things from there itself, but it's worth the risk, and they cannot do anything to you, as you are their most important thread of yarn. Your thread connects to everyone elses." he continued, giving me the hint that he approved of my idea of saving Thalia, thus changing the previous Great Prophecy.
"Now, we come to an important point, an addition to your skills. I will be granting you an extra set of powers." he spoke, and I looked at him in shock. Can Primordials bless demigods in such a way?
He continued, ignoring my look of shock "You will learn of these powers soon. They will unlock after you reach camp, and make you very powerful, more so than any other demigod to have lived before you." again, I was baffled.
"However, I must warn you Perseus. These powers, though extremely strong, will be difficult to control. You will need to exercise caution when using them, as they are my blessings, and overusing them might consume you. They will become second nature with time, just as your powers over water did, so do not worry. Practice well and with due caution, and you will have no trouble with them." he said. I felt a little apprehensive at first, but was relieved to hear that it would become as comfortable as using my powers over water as time passes.
" Lastly", he continued, "You can change a few things that happened in your years at camp but remember not to change too much, or the Gods will realise that I'm still alive and haven't faded like the world believes. More importantly, my existence must remain a secret for when Gaia comes around. If she realises I am aiding you as such, the war will become far more dangerous than you know it to be now." I shuddered at the thought of that, the image of the bloodied field in Greece still in my mind.
"Do not worry, for you will still have time before she comes around knocking. If you wish to speak to me, call out my name and I may grace you with a visit." He said with a smirk, trying to defuse the tension from his last statement.
"Good Luck my child. Train well and become strong Perseus Jackson, and you may save the world yet." He added, before finally turning serious and saying, " Remember, there will be no third chance for this. Bending the Ancient Laws to such an extent, especially by me, will not bode well for the world"
With a final smile, he waved his hand and my pain vanished, my body feeling not recovered but…different, as though it had been turned back in time to when I was uninjured and at my peak. 'Amazing..' I thought and returned a warm smile to him.
He then winked, and snapped his fingers and I felt myself loosing consciousness.
PERCY POV
I woke up with my memories of the previous day being very fuzzy. I opened my eyes and noticed that I was in a room who's walls were covered with blue wallpaper and on the bedside table was a picture of me and my mum in Montauk.
I looked ahead to see the calendar on the wall and it said - 13 June 2000. '…Well shit, it wasn't a dream after all….'
I felt hopeful of my chances, and saw there was time to spare, so I went back to sleep. Just then, an errent thought passed my mind. 'Now that I'm back, I'll have to do it all again won't I..hmm…..'
GODDAMMIT ALL!!!
