Chapter 2
Poseidon didn't really know what to think of this new version of his son. At times, he had wondered what his boy's life would have been like if he didn't have a loving mother... or just a mother period, but it was a reality that he had been happy to say didn't exist.
Now, as he stared at the book that the Fates were watching over, he couldn't help but be sad. There was a world where Percy never knew his mother and had lost his father, a good one at that, to the machinations of man and the demon that was known as Kronos.
For as long as he could remember, his father had always been someone to be feared. He had never known the man to be merciful or kind to anyone... and this just proved the point to him. All he could say was that he was glad that the titan lord was still chained in the realm that Hades ruled over. Already, he was making plans to kill a few of his elite soldiers so as to give Hades the soldiers necessary to station more guards around their father's prison.
"Turn your attention back to the book, Lord of the Seas," The Fates spoke as one, "For it must be opened once more so you all may learn from it."
Taking a deep breath, Poseidon did as he was told, though it wasn't with a pleasing attitude. He had a distinct feeling that his son's trials weren't quite over yet. There was more to be read... and as they all knew... much could happen in the span of a few years. And so far back in time? It would only lead to more tragedies than anyone mere man could hope to deal with.
The book flipped open once more, drawing their vision into the world that existed in another world.
"Wait! There must be another way. This one need not die."
Malik's words went unheeded as Altaїr ran up to the old man, shoved him to his knees, raised his arm and extended his Hidden Blade, and ended the elder's life in a spray of blood. Beneath his hood, Faris had the utmost displeased look on his face.
Tenant One: Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.
Status: Broken.
Poseidon sighed as he looked away from this rather gruesome action. He suspected that he would see such sights... but he had hoped that it would not have been so soon. His son was not ready for such sights... and he doubted that he ever would.
Although it was also curious. If this tenant was one that belonged to the brotherhood, then why would Altair break it? From what they had seen so far, the young man was not one that would so easily break their most important command.
Faris had watched silently ever since Haras (Templar bastard that stole Faris' brand-new crossbow invention) invaded Masyaf and held the Mentor hostage, which prompted Altaїr and Faris to perform a rescue mission that involved the deaths of many Englishmen threatening civilian lives, forcing Abbas into submission and placing him into a position of power, and some drop assassinations from high places.
The whole ordeal had resulted in Altaїr and Faris being promoted to Master at the same time, with the 21-year-old younger brother setting a new record for youngest promotion to Master. That event prompted Abbas to say a few choice words to the brothers, which prompted Altaїr to spit at Sofian's boots and sneer. Faris had held his tongue, and let the events pass through him, but that was the day he noticed a change in his brother. And it wasn't a good change.
"A shame," Artemis whispered as her silver eyes watched the older brother's form. More times than not, she had seen good men fall because of their arrogance. It was something that all men, and yes even some women, suffered from. She only hoped that Percy-Faris could straighten the young man out before it was too late.
Arrogance had become a mainstay in Altaїr's life from that moment on, and Faris hated himself for not doing something about it. But what could he do? He couldn't just walk up to his brother and kick his ass back into line, or give him a stern talk-down/lecture, and he wasn't about to go behind Altaїr's back and go to Al Mualim.
No, Faris was not pleased with the direction in life his brother had taken, and the only thing he could do was pray that when the Lord came to set Altaїr straight again, He would do so gently.
"I say just beat him into unconsciousness. That always does it for me," Ares grinned with a dim fire in his eyes. Whenever he'd needed to learn something new, his father and mother would just beat it into his head as that was the only way that he would take anything seriously.
Athena shook her head, of course Ares would suggest such a thing. The word discussion wasn't even in his dictionary that he carried around with him.
"An excellent kill. Fortune favors your blade," Kadar Al-Sayf praised his wayward idol.
"Not fortune, skill. Watch a while longer and you may learn something."
"Indeed. He'll teach you how to disrespect everything the Master's taught us," Malik spoke with clear contempt.
"And how would you have done it?" Altaїr snapped.
"I would not have drawn attention to us. I would not have taken the life of an innocent. What I would have done is follow the Creed."
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Understand these words. It matters not how we complete our task, only that it's done."
Malik opened his mouth to argue further, but Faris stepped forward. "Enough. Both of you. We are here for a purpose, and it does not involve quarreling amongst ourselves over the tenants of the Creed."
Altaїr smirked, believing his little brother to be on his side. "Listen to Faris and you may just gain a sliver of wisdom. Now, I'll scout ahead for further threats."
With that, the Master Assassin disappeared down the corridors.
Malik scoffed. "How you can put up with such an arrogant man, I do not know. Kadar, if I ever begin to act like that, please, have the spine to correct me-"
"Thank you, Malik. Your opinion on this subject has been noted and filed away." Faris may have shared the lower Assassin's opinion about Altaїr, but that did not mean that the Master was so willing to let others speak it aloud. Call it Protective Brother Syndrome. Faris also did not appreciate the barb Malik at aimed at him for being 'spineless.'
Sensing tension, Kadar sought to diffuse it with a change in subject. "What is our mission? My brother would not tell me, only that I should be honored to have been invited."
"Al Mualim believes the Templars have discovered something under the temple mount."
"Treasure?"
"I do not know. What matters is that the Master considers it important enough to send both my brother and I at the same time to retrieve it."
That wasn't even arrogance. It was a well-known fact in the Brotherhood that Altaїr and Faris were the best the Order had to offer, with the two seemingly invisible in the sparsest crowd, and unstoppable warriors on the battlefield, should the need arise. And when they were together…Heaven help whoever they were being sent after, because the Angel of Death favored the Brothers of None more than any Assassin.
So, for both to be sent on the same mission was cause for great concern.
"Any bets?" Hermes asked as he raised a wad of golden cash into the air, his eyes shining with mirth. He ignored the annoyed glances of the Fates, this was very much in his domain, meaning that he could do this without any fear of retribution from the daughters of fate. If they tried to punish him in any form, then they would have to face the full effect of the Ancient Laws, the laws that Zeus himself engraved into the tightly woven being that was Chaos.
Even the Fates were not so dumb as to test the force of Chaos, the one who was the second most powerful being in the universe.
Apollo handed some cash to Hermes, his eyes glowing slightly, "I say a weapon. That's what it usually is when it comes to shady characters like Assassins. That's the only thing that would warrant sending the best of the best."
Athena lowered her hand as her brother's comment was actually a reasonable explanation. It irked her to admit it, but she would not take credit away when it was due... even if it was to someone like Apollo.
Well, the Eagle had killed a man dressed in red and white armed with a sword, but whether that broke a tenant of the Creed was up for debate. Malik seemed to think so, but Faris, being the loyal younger brother, was willing to give Altaїr the benefit of the doubt. Kadar was more focused on the glowing box above.
"Is that…the Ark…of the Covenant…?"
"Don't be silly," Altaїr scolded. "There's no such thing. It's only a story."
"The Ark is no story." Zeus spoke out, his electric blue eyes sparkling with power and something akin to anger, "It has a power that can not be denied by any one god. A few years back, in our perception of time, a few foolish gods decided to tempt Yahweh by stealing the Ark from Israel, hoping that they could win if God's presence was not among them. Well, let's just say that it didn't work out quite like they had hoped and had to offer reparation to the people that God had favored."
Athena tilted her head in interest. The story that Zeus was telling had happened just as she was getting more followers. Like the rest of her siblings, she had focused more on amassing more power rather than getting involved with the affairs of other nations.
Faris grit his teeth. Had his brother truly become so arrogant as to disregard all of the teachings of the faith their Order was built upon?
As if Lucifer himself was pulling the strings of fate, several Templar soldiers, all of them wearing tunics, chain mail armor, and red helmets entered, being led by Assassin Enemy Number 1: Robert de Sable. The Grand Master of the Knights Templar was a very tall man, and a very well-built one, his body packed with muscle from years of training and battle, and he had an intellect to match.
"Robert de Sable. His life his mine," Altaїr intoned.
"No," Malik said. "Our orders were to retrieve the treasure and deal with Robert only if necessary."
"He stands between us and it; I would say it's necessary."
"Discretion, Altaїr! You've already broken two tenants of our Creed. Now you would break the third. Do not compromise the Brotherhood!"
Altaїr's anger spiked. "I am your superior, in both title and ability," he said coldly, "you should know better than to question me."
"Zeus anyone?" Hades spoke with a bit of humor in his voice, though there was a hint of resentment in it. How many times had their king refused to listen to those wiser than him just because he had more power, or just because he was king?
A bolt of lightning started to spark in said King's hand, how dare his oldest brother make fun of him. Why... he had half a mind to strike him down right where he sat. Maybe that would teach the fool a lesson in humility.
Running out of options, Malik turned to Faris, desperately seeking aid in his endeavor to do things silently, quickly, and stealthily…and without needless bloodshed. Malik feared for the life of his own younger brother in this mission, due to Altaїr's blatant disregard for subtlety, and Kadar's own inexperience with such missions. Altaїr saw where Malik's eyes turned, and the Master Assassin was quick to speak.
"Besides, with Faris and I here, victory over Robert, and completion of our mission are guaranteed. Now come, we have work to do."
"It's true you know," Hestia commented, her soft brown eyes staring into the dark brooding eyes of her youngest brother. Her hands were resting on her lap, clutching at the white fabric that surrounded her young form. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back in waves of ringlets, creating the look of a flowing waterfall, "While you might be powerful on your own, Zeus, it is when you work with Poseidon and Hades, that your true power makes even the mightiest of the primordials wail in fear."
Zeus shared a look with Poseidon and Hades, a smirk on his face, as the lightning around him faded. Just this once... he would let the insult against his name stand. Hestia was right. Why should he fight when he was more powerful with the two elder gods were on his side. He shot her a look, one that was filled with thanks.
While Faris did not argue, as he himself was confident in the combined skill of he and his brother, he could not shake the feeling that this was wrong. They were here for the treasure, not the life of the Templar Grand Master. Was Robert's life convenient? Undoubtedly. But as Faris' gaze lingered upon the golden Ark, he still couldn't shake the feeling that…this was wrong.
"God's probably using the Ark as a way to communicate with Faris... hence the feeling that he has," Athena speculated, her dark grey eyes narrowed in thought. Very interesting.
Poseidon rolled his eyes at his rival. Couldn't she go one moment without spouting complete bullshit? That was so stupid... even for her.
Still though, Faris joined his brother on the ground, an uneasy Kadar and a nervous Malik next to him.
'Please do not be stupid. Please do not be stupid. Please do not be stupid,' Faris mentally chanted.
"Hold Templars. You are not the only ones with business here."
'Please do not be stupid. Please do not be stupid. Please do not be stupid.'
Robert and his allies turned to face the Assassins. "Ah! Well, this explains my missing man. And what is it that you want?"
'Please do not be stupid.'
"Blood."
'God damn it!'
Athena and Artemis shared a smile as they glanced at their brothers. Stupidity was a trait that was very hard to let go of. Once one earned it, then they could be almost certain to die with it. They'd done many studies of the stupid gene... and to their disappointment, they could not seem to find a cure for it. It was one that was going to haunt both mortal and divine worlds until the end of the universe and maybe that was for the best.
The stupid were the only ones that could change the world as they more often than not refused to listen to those in a higher position of power. It was a trait that both sisters admired and hated for that sole fact.
His one word answer verbally relayed, Altaїr charged forward, Malik futilely trying to stop him. For a reason Faris could not explain, he froze up. His body simply refused to respond to his commands (he also failed to see the Ark glowing softly above). As such, Altaїr's attack was halted by Robert, the man's superior strength holding the Assassin at bay.
"You know not the things in which you meddle, Assassin. I spare you only that you may return to your master and deliver a message. The Holy Land is lost to him and his. He should flee now while he has the chance. Stay, and all of you will die."
During Robert's monologue, Altaїr struggled fervently to free himself, or get his blade close enough to strike, but failed with each attempt. Finally at the end of the speech, Robert threw Altaїr from the room, making him smash through the scaffolding that helped keep the cave entrance from collapsing. The wooden supports now gone due to Altaїr's brief flight, the stone came down, blocking the way back in.
"The man does seem rather strong," Hera's eyes were narrowed in slight thought. It made her think of Hercules for some strange reason. It made her wonder how the man had managed to attain such strength. Maybe there was some sort of magic fruit there that allowed for such monstrous strength? If so... then she would pray for all the people that Robert had hurt. And if she ever met the man's counterpart... she would curse him to never find peace.
Curse whoever thought that would be wrong. Gods and goddesses didn't have to be reasonable, just powerful.
"Men, to arms! Kill the Assassins!"
The sound of clanging steel rang loud and true.
"NO!"
Altaїr was at the rocks in an instant, desperately trying to pry the stone from his way so as to join his little brother in combat. It was no use, he did not have the strength to move such heavy objects. Despair overwhelmed Altaїr, and he allowed tears to fall from his eyes at the thought of his brother dying due to his actions…
No. He could not afford to think such thoughts. What he had to do now was return to Masyaf, and await Faris' return. If his little brother was not back within the week, then Altaїr would move heaven and earth to raise an army and storm Jerusalem, if only for the sole purpose of discovering Faris' fate.
Now firm in mind and body and spirit, Altaїr climbed his way out of Solomon's Temple, and returned to his home.
"I'd do the same in his shoes," Apollo smiled brightly, his soft blue eyes meeting Artemis's yellow ones for a short burst of time. He was her brother and as such would kill anyone that dared to get too close to her. He remembered back when the world was still new... when he killed all the men, and their families, that tried to get close to her. His wrath had made him known as a god to be feared.
Artemis, the good sister that she was, rolled her eyes as she sensed the dark intentions in her brother's divine aura. He was such a maniac at times.
Faris' eye twitched when his brother was thrown into the adjacent chamber, and the ceiling came down. Now it was just him, Malik, and Kadar, vs Robert de Sable, and four of his personal guards, all of whom were powerful swordsmen in their own right, with Robert possibly being more than a match for Faris in a contest of the blade.
"Men, at arms! Kill the Assassins!"
Faris responded with his own orders. "Kadar, after the treasure. Malik, you and I have the Templars."
"We would not be in this situation if your brother had just-"
"I know. Thank you. Focus on the battle at hand, please."
While Kadar left the immediate battle and began to climb for the treasure, Faris and Malik had the extreme honor of engaging four Templars at once, seeing as how Robert seemed content to stay back and watch. The world around Faris faded away, and the only thing he became aware of was the two bucket-heads before him.
Moderately tall, muscled well enough, and they carried themselves with the gait of experienced swordsmen. Faris drew his own sword, the curved blade glinting in the torchlight. The Templars drew their own straight swords, and prepared for combat.
The one on the left struck first, but right off the start did he make a mistake. He overextended. Faris brought his blade down, holding the Templar in place, and then backhanded the man. The blow had enough power to send him to the ground. The other Templar moved in, but Faris managed to parry, his hand ringing from the strike. In the moment of respite, the Assassin whipped his crossbow from his back, and shot the first Templar in the throat.
"He has talent," Hermes noted as he imagined the battle in his mind, his divine power making it a real moment in time for as long as he needed. He could see the way that Percy moved and he could say that he was impressed. Now there was a chance that what he was seeing was not actually what happened in the book... but he trusted himself enough to believe that it was accurate enough.
Poseidon smiled as he shared the imaginary battle with one of his more liked nephews. If Percy could learn those skills, then he would be safe against the forces of Kronos. He was going to have to see if he could convince Hades to loan out some of his people.
Now, this is the part where Faris hated modern advancements in weaponry. In order to fire another bolt, he would need to use his other hand to pull an arrow from his quiver and notch it, all of which took time, and in a battle, time was not something one had a lot of. After this debacle was over, Faris was going to design a self-reloading mechanism, so help him God.
The second Templar recovered, and engaged Faris once more, only this time his form was tighter, his movements more precise. There were no openings to exploit, and no mistakes to capitalize on. So, they dueled, a deadly clash of steel that lesser men would have found to be impossible to follow.
Their hands numb from so many clashes, the two warriors deadlocked. Faris' hood his eyes from view, and the eyeholes of the Templar's helmet cast his own orbs into shadow. Taking a quick glance to the side, Faris saw Malik knock one Templar to the ground, then sidestep the other and stab him through the throat with his short sword. Then there was Kadar.
"Faris! I have it!"
Ares groaned into his hand, "Wrong thing to say buddy-boy." Even he wouldn't have been so dumb as to draw attention to himself in a conflict where the enemy's death wasn't the main goal... or was he? Still he would have made sure that the item was safe before doing anything to get back into the battle.
Athena couldn't believe the fact that she agreed with Ares... the big lout was normally too stupid to even think on the same level as her. Still... Ares said something smart and she had to agree with him because of that.
That was the wrong thing to say as Robert suddenly remembered there was another Assassin. The bald man whipped around, narrowed his eyes, drew his sword, and then he hurled the blade.
SQUELCH
"KADAR!"
The Templar Malik knocked to the ground took that time to attack. He swung his sword, but the Assassin reacted in time to save his arm from being totally cleaved off, but so fast as to prevent total damage. The blade of his short sword blocked that of the Templar's before it could go through the bone, but that was it.
Blood soaked Malik's robes.
"Told ya," Ares face was sober as he looked at the book, his eyes as dark as the finest of rubies. Twas a shame... the boy had the potential to be a great war-machine.
Also during the distraction, Faris struck down his own opponent, just as Robert retrieved his sword from Kadar's warm corpse. Malik screamed in anguish, more at the loss of his brother than the sword in his arm. Tearing himself free of the blade, Malik instantly dispatched the offending Templar, and made to charge Robert in blind fury.
Faris stopped the older Assassin. "Stop, Malik! You are no match for him in this state. Take the treasure and return to Masyaf. I'll deal with Robert."
The Assassin's words reached the older man, and the fury in Malik's eyes dimmed just a bit. "You had better make it back yourself," he said. Malik picked up the strange treasure, cradling it gently against his chest, its shape making it an awkward carry for the recently crippled man. With one last look at his fallen sibling, Malik disappeared into the bowels of Solomon's Temple.
"Brave of you, boy," Robert said evenly. "But futile in the end. After I am finished with you, Masyaf will know my wrath, and the treasure will be mine once more."
Faris did not respond, and instead began to pray.
'My Lord...be with me in this fight against my enemy. Guide my blade and my body. Grant me the knowledge needed to attain victory swiftly. If it be your will that this man falls today, please, accept him with open arms and a kind smile, and please absolve him of his sins. However, if it be your will that I fall today, please welcome me with all that I prayed for Robert. Amen.'
Apollo scratched his head in mock confusion, "But wasn't he supposed to pray through Jesus name? Guess that means that the prayer isn't getting answered." His laughter unnerved his family just a tiny bit. Apollo had always been strange like that... but to think that he would listen to the son of God... wow. That was quite the dangerous thing that he'd done by getting involved with another religion.
Robert struck first, and Faris rolled to the side. Popping up, he thrust out his blade, but the Templar parried with enough force to knock the Assassin's saber out of his hands, and then he kicked him in the chest, knocking Faris flat on his back.
The Son of None was back on his feet almost as soon as he went down. He pulled his own short sword out of the sheath on his belt, and he took a stance. Legs spread shoulder-width apart, and offset. Head inclined to where the beak of his hood shielded his identity. His left arm, holding his blade in icepick grip, was held under his right arm, the two limbs forming an 'X' shape.
Robert stalked forward with all the gait of a victorious lion. His face was set in stone, his eyes cold as the steel of his sword, his body taut and coiled for action, his cape billowing behind him, and his sword held tightly at his side. The Templar Grand Master made for quite the imposing sight, but Faris was not afraid.
His Lord was with him.
Hermes joined his sunny brother in the mad cackling, "He hopes." He rubbed his hands together in the stereotypical mad scientist style, an organ sounding from somewhere behind him.
Artemis sighed before she struck both brothers on the head with her silver bow. Maybe that would shut them up for a while and if not, at least she would have the satisfaction of knowing that she made her displeasure known to both gods. Besides, it was rude to insult other people's faith.
Robert swung his sword in a mighty downwards arc. Faris slid to the side, and the blade hammered against stone with a clang. The Assassin punched the Templar in the face. Robert grunted, and swung. Faris angled his short sword to where Robert's larger blade glanced off the side. Faris jabbed him in the face again.
This time, blood was drawn.
Robert wiped his jaw, and inspected his now-colored bracer. The Templar smirked. "Your Master has taught you well, boy. It has been many seasons since I last saw my own blood. You have my respect, Assassin…the only men that earn my respect are those that I will kill."
Poseidon grit his teeth, his hands gripping at his armrest so tight that it caused it to start cracking from the sheer pressure. If Robert even harmed a single hair on his son's hair... he would sink the entire world thrice over. He would not allow such a thing to pass without taking his own toll against the guilty party, even if it would be impossible for him to physically harm said party.
"Some honor that is," Poseidon grit out.
Faris said nothing, but the corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards into a calm smile.
Robert smiled as well, his teeth stained with the crimson fluid of life, but his smile was one of dark anticipation. The anticipation of a worthy challenge.
The Templar raised his sword parallel to the side of his face, then he began to rapidly step forward. He closed the distance between him and Faris within seconds, and he swung with both hands when he got close enough. The Assassin ducked, but Robert' backswing forced the man away before a blow could be struck.
Robert advanced on Faris, swinging his sword with deadly force and precision. Seeing no opening yet, the Assassin displayed his skills in coordination, agility, and stamina as he continued to backpedal and twist, avoiding each of Robert's strikes with expert ease.
Finally, Robert's own stamina gave out, and his next attack was sloppy. Faris immediately capitalized, blocking with his smaller blade, gripping the hilt of the Templar's sword, and kicking him in the gut with enough force to send the man stumbling back…without his sword. Faris dropped the blade, and it kissed the floor with a clang.
Faris approached the Templar, who was on a knee, supporting his weight with a hand on the Temple wall. The Assassin sheathed his short sword, but he was still on a hair-trigger for sudden movements. Robert looked up, saw the approaching Assassin, and he snarled.
The Grand Master stood tall, gaining a second wind.
Faris raised his fists in preparation for a battle of the fists, his missing ring fingers on prominent display. His opponent was a head taller than he was, and a great deal more physically inclined, but he was also tired from his furious sword assault. Where Robert was on his second wind, Faris was still on his first, and was showing no signs of fatigue.
The Templar advanced, and opened the brawl with a series of hard jabs against the metal plates on Faris' bracers, before finishing his combo with a knee to the gut. A knee that the Assassin caught, and slammed his elbow down upon, easily bruising the skin, and perhaps the bone beneath. Robert winced.
Faris' fist shot up from the Templar's leg, and into his lower jaw. De Sable's reflexes were better than would expect, because he grabbed the offending limb in his own powerful grasp, and gripped the front of Faris' robes. The Assassin let go of the leg he was holding, which was a mistake in hindsight seeing as de Sable now had both feet on the ground again.
In a display of extreme physical prowess, the Grand Master lifted Faris off the ground, and threw the man across the Temple floor. In most circumstances, the most damage to be done by this might've been a slight jarring, however, this was a rare circumstance, in which the way Robert launched Faris caused the Assassin to land…and hit his head.
Now, there wasn't anything extreme like loss of consciousness, amnesia, brain damage, or even a concussion of any major concern, but one could say that, to quote a modern phrase, Faris had his bell rung. And it rang loudly. In the daze, Faris felt like he was swimming through the sap of a tree, undergoing a sense of nausea and vertigo at the same time.
It was not pleasant.
"I imagine that it wouldn't," Hades mused as he quickly glanced at Demeter. He'd experienced such a thing before and he could say that it wasn't the best feeling in the world. While he had no intention of reliving that memory... he could still remember the feeling of being powerless. He'd gotten his revenge against the guilty party but damn if that wasn't some sort of a hell raiser.
Demeter grinned slyly as she noticed Hades staring at her... that would teach the bastard to touch her.
However, like all things, the ringing came to an end, and just in time because Robert de Sable was looming over the Assassin, sword poised to deliver a beheading strike. Just as the blade came down, Faris rolled forward, narrowly avoiding death. In a motion too fluid to be real, mid-roll, the Son of None hurled a throwing knife at the Templar's face.
Once more, de Sable's reflexes proved to be exceptional, as the man leaned back with eyes wide in surprise. However, he was not fast enough to escape total injury, as the tiny blade just managed to carve a small little gash upon the blank, curved canvas of the Grand Master's cranium.
Robert grunted in pain as his skin was split, and blood spurted from the wound. He glared murder at the crouched Faris, before roaring so loud that small bits of debris fell from above. He charged forward, a limp in his gait, sword high and cape billowing as a warrior's below tore from his throat.
Faris rolled straight out, right to where his saber had been thrown away, and spun around in a flurry of white.
SQUELCH
Robert's scream died in his throat as he impaled himself upon the curved blade of the Master Assassin. Groaning, he stepped backward, dropping his sword and covering his wound with both arms. It was not a deep cut, and it had missed all vital organs. Robert would live, but that did not mean that he not in pain. Contrary, in addition to this cut in his abdomen, his jaw was sore and blood was leaking into his eye.
The bite of steel upon flesh was not a forgiving one.
Ares snorted, "You don't say?" He ignored the scowl from his mother and the Fates. If they wanted him to be quiet, they were going to have to kill him. He wasn't anyone's bitch and anyone that thought otherwise would get a sword through their intestines.
Robert took a few steps back, before falling to his knees with a growl of defiance. "Well, boy? Finish it."
Faris sheathed his sword, and approached the Templar. Even on his knees, Robert still managed to look imposing, the blood leaking down his face only adding to his intimidating countenance. The Assassin splayed his hand, causing his Hidden Blade to extend with a SNIKT. He raised his arm, ready to pierce Robert's neck...but something stopped him.
Faris couldn't explain it; there was just this feeling that held him back from striking-from dealing the killing blow. Then Faris remembered his prayer.
The Assassin grabbed Robert de Sable by the throat, and brought them nearly face-to-face.
"Your life...is not mine to take."
Faris punched the Templar in the face, knocking him out. Just then, the Son of None heard the footsteps of several armored men rapidly approaching. When said men entered the chamber, all they found was their master unconscious on the ground, bleeding from the head and abdomen, and a dead Kadar Al-Sayf.
With a loud bang, the book snapped itself shut with the help of the Fates. The silence was telling as the gods and goddesses stared at each other. This child... he was not a normal one. Sure most demi-gods weren't in the first place... but Percy-Faris took it to a whole new level. There was a talent in him that scared the Hades out of all of them... except for maybe Ares, but the lout couldn't even tell the difference between a dog and a human.
"That is the second chapter deities of Olympus," The Fates told them all, "The third one will be starting soon so we suggest you go and refresh yourselfs."
So this is the second chapter my friends. I hope you enjoyed it and leave me a lot of reviews and favs guys.
