AN: Results for the second elimination round are in everybody and the results honestly surprised me (seriously, I expected people to want Percy to have a wife to come home to)
In first place, so far we have Aela the Huntress with Thirty Votes
In second place, we have Carlotta Valentia with fifteen votes
In third place, we have Ingun Black-Briar with twelve votes
And in fourth place we have Sapphire with eight votes.
That means Sapphire is being eliminated and there will only be two rounds of elimination before the winner is announced. Next Poll is already up.
AN2: Each story will have a part of Percy's adventure in Skyrim and a part on Olympus (some chapters having breaks in between) and will be labeled to make things easier.
AN3: Hey everyone. Justin, one of my best friends, is a writer for the website thegamingground. He got an invite to E3 but has to pay his own hotel and travel. He has a go fund me set up. There's a link posted on my Facebook page for these stories. If you want to donate he'd really appreciate it.
Dragons-Bane
Chapter 3
-Percy-
-Story-
Giving a groan, he looked around the wagon he found himself stuffed in. The forested area was a far cry from his home in the hot springs with his family. "Ah, so you're finally awake." A friendly voice, the grin practically oozing in the sound, called to him as he turned to see a blond man in a very recognizable uniform sitting across from him. "Was starting to wonder if they'd hit you a little too hard."
Eyes narrowed warily, Percy looked the carriage he found himself in, noting the iron chains around his ankles and wrists, as compared to the robe bindings around his fellow prisoners. There were two other men in the cart besides himself and the, seemingly, friendly Stormcloak. The first was a rather thin and ragged man who possessed a gaunt face and the disposition of a rabbit, looking ready to bolt at any moment. The other was Ulfric Stormcloak, thankfully bound and gagged to not be able to speak or, more importantly, use the Thu'um.
"What's the matter, can't talk to one of your Nord brothers?" the blond asked "Imperial got your tongue?"
Actually giving a small snort at the wise crack, which earned the man a cuff to the head from an imperial soldier riding horseback beside the carriage, he answered "Perseus. What am I doing here anyway? Last I remember was hunting in the hot springs for dinner and now I'm here."
"Were you hunting near Darkwater Crossing by any chance?" the blond asks him, leaning forward to attempt to avoid any more cuffs "Names Ralof by the way."
"There are good bucks there." He shrugged with a nod before sighing "I assume that's where you lot got captured?" Ralof gave a nod "And since Ulfric is bound and gagged like a pig for feast day I suppose we're heading to the block."
"The block?!" the shifty man exclaims in a panic "No, no, no! But we weren't with you!" the man exclaims desperately to Ralof "This is a mistake! Tell them it's a mistake!"
"The Imperials aren't going to trust the word of one of a Stormcloak," Percy snorted "we just have to hope that whoever is in charge here is willing to listen to reason as neither of us carries the standard that the Stormcloaks take so much pride in. The fact that I'm a Breton is just an added bonus to my case."
"You aren't a Nord?" Ralof asks in surprise, looking towards him and his massive frame.
"Nords aren't the only ones with muscles." Percy deadpanned as the driver got tired of their conversation.
"Shut up back there!" the carriage driver barked at them, sounding far from amused.
"What are you doing to do dog?" Ralof spat, literally, at the soldier "Execute us twice?"
"Keep it up and they could do something worse than execution you idiot." He snorts as Ralof, Ulfric, and the Imperials turn and raise eyebrows at him in question. "They could cut out his," he nods to the gagged Ulfric "tongue to stop him from using the voice again. They could take his eyes so he could never again see the country he claimed to love but has torn apart with a pointless war. They could take his arms to never again life a weapon to wage war. They could take his legs to stop him from leading a charge against the Empire again. They could geld him so he could not spread his seed to future generations. They could do all of these things, leaving him blind and mute, unable to move or touch anything on his own. Living in constant agony and suffering as an example of what happens to those who raise civil war. So yes, there are things worse than death that can be done Stormcloak."
Ralof's eyes were filled with horror at the thought of that happening to the man the blond Nord had sworn allegiance to. Ulfric's eyes were filled with unquestionable fear at the thought of being put through that, the man's legs clenching together as if that would stop the aforementioned 'gelding'. The Imperials looked shocked at his suggestion, and some decidedly green at the brutal suggestion.
"Wait, are you truly claiming to not be a Stormcloak?" one imperial soldier, who's glares towards Ralof seemed to ring with pain and the look of betrayal along with simple hatred for an enemy faction.
"I'm a Breton who was raised by Argonians." He deadpanned at the soldier "Added to that I know a few spells and practice with them. The Stormcloaks hate magic and hate anything that isn't a Nord, Argonians and Dunmer most of all." The Imperial soldier held his gaze for a long time as they continued on to wherever they were going, neither looking away, neither saying anything.
Eventually the soldier nods, "I believe you but you'll have to understand we'll need to verify your story first. I give you my word though I'll do whatever I can to see that you aren't executed until we can make sure of your tale."
With a nod of gratitude, he turned back to focus on the road, the wagon bumping along easily as they rounded a corner and the gates to a city came in sight. "Helgen," Ralof said nostalgically "I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod still makes that Mead with Juniper Berries mixed in."
As they passed through the gates he saw Altmer on horseback, looking with disgust at everything and everyone around them as they spoke to a greying man in fancy imperial armor. The villages of Helgen were stepping out of their homes or looking down from their balconies at the Stormcloaks, hissing insults at the group that had plunged Skyrim into a civil war.
"Wait, why are we stopping?" the gaunt looking man asked, eyes wide and full of fear while clearly praying that the imminent execution wasn't going to happen.
"End of the line," he told the thief as he stood up, his full height towering over everyone else in the village making his presence decidedly easy to spot "Unless a miracle appears then only Sovangarde awaits."
"No!" the man is all but reduced to tears at this point as two Imperials hoist him down as the fearful man's legs seemed to have abandoned him, "This can't be happening!"
"When I call your name, step forward." The Imperial who gave his word to let Percy prove his tale called out, standing next to a woman wearing an officers helmet that looked ready to kill everyone who stepped out of a wagon. "Ralof, of Riverwood."
"It has been an Honor, Jarl Ulfric." Ralof said with a nod of respect to the gagged Ulfric who returned it before the Stormcloak soldier was led over to the block to wait.
"Lokir, of Rorikstead." The Imperial called out as the gaunt man actually was crying.
"No please!" Lokir sobbed "I'm not with them, I'm not a Stormcloak! This is a mistake!"
"Silence thief!" the captain snarled, walking forward and backhanding Lokir with a metal plated fist, blood and a few teeth flying out from the blow as the man sobbed harder "Now get to the block!" giving a choked scream of fear the man shoved the momentarily stunned captain aside and bolted back towards the gates. "Archers!" the captain yelled, spitting dirt as she climbed to her feet, two men with bows drawing arrows and firing. The arrows flew fast and with a deadly intent, the first piercing Lokir's ankle as the thief let out a pained cry and stumbled before the second caught him in the back and sent him flying into a rock before falling lifeless to the ground. "Anyone else feel like running?" the captain demanded, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword with a white-knuckle grip, her hate filled eyes clearly hoping they said yes.
The friendlier soldier finished reading the names on the list until only Percy was left by the wagons, his name not called. "Captain," the man said, nodding over his direction "he's not on the list." This fact seemed to have help cement his story to the soldier.
"It doesn't matter, he goes to the block." The captain said, brushing his life off as if it didn't matter.
"Captain I gave my word that the man could plead his case and try to prove his innocence." The soldier protests as the captain turned his glare upon him.
"And I'm deciding he's guilty soldier." She snarled "Am I clear?"
"You don't have the authority to-" the soldier tried to protest the Captain's actions before she brought up a hand to strike him much as she had Lokir. Not wasting a moment, he reared back and kicked her in the chest, sending her several feet back and drawing all eyes their direction.
"What's going on here?!" the man in the expensive looking armor demanded, storming over as the archers and swordsmen stood divided, some standing with himself and the friendly soldier he had just protected while others stood with the captain.
"The captain tried to attack Hadvar General Tulius sir!" a soldier standing in front of him said quickly "This man here," they nodded to him "wasn't on the list and Hadvar had given his word that he'd do what he could to see that the man could prove his innocence. The captain took it upon herself to declare the man guilty and to be executed despite him not being on the list."
"Hadvar, were there any names on the list that didn't step forward?" the General asked the now named Hadvar who shook his head in the negative. "What do you have to say about this Captain?"
"He was with the Stormcloaks sir." She protests, getting to her feet and glaring with hate his direction, not noticing the slight foot shaped dent in her armor.
"With his comments in the carriage?" the swordsman who had first spoken up snorted "Doubtful. And you were the one about to attack one of our own."
"He questioned my authority as are you." The captain growled before turning to Tulius "General, I request time to let me discipline these men before the executions." Frowning Tulius looked around before his face became as stone.
"Soldiers!" he barked out "Strip the captain of arms and armor." Looking at the shocked woman who was now being restrained Tulius declared "You are going to be tried when we return to Solitude, after that we will decide if you will remain with this army or not." As the woman was dragged off the general turned back towards Percy "You are to remain with Hadvar at all times until we can verify your story. Am I understood?"
"Perfectly General." He nodded, respecting that the man was giving him a chance to prove his innocence and even letting the captain have a chance at a later time.
Nodding the man turned back towards the block, "Alright, let's get this over with."
-Olympus-
"Wait a minute, you're a criminal?" Malcolm asked in disgust, apparently having picked up only part of what had just been told.
"No, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and they thought I was a criminal." He told the son of Zeus who was acting an awful lot like the captain had.
"Correct," a familiar animalistic voice growled out as he turned to see his four body guards and close friends entering the throne room, a swirling black and purple rift closing behind them "and you'd do well to remember that whelp."
"Who dares enter-!" Zeus started to thunder but he was tired of the man's voice already.
"Zul gahrot nahlot." He intoned in Dovazhuul, Zeus speaking but no sound coming out for a few moments before Zeus realized he was now mute.
"What did you do?" Hades cackled, several of the gods looking ready to worship him for silencing Zeus, Hera in particular.
"Voice steal silence." He translated "I use those three words in Dovazhuul to create a shout that will render Zeus mute until I do another shout to reverse it. And he will stay that way until I think he can behave himself." Those words were said with a stern look at the fuming thunder god.
"Well Percy," Aphrodite purred, eyeing both himself and Farkas like pieces of meat "why don't you introduce us to your…good friends."
"These are my close friends from the guilds as well as my personal bodyguards." Percy explained, rolling his eyes at Aphrodite's lack of subtlety. "Farkas of the Companions." The giant bear of a man nodded, Wuuthrad upon his back.
"Veezara, the leader of my assassin order, the Black Hand, which I forged from the ashes of the Dark Brotherhood." The Argonian gave a grin, Mehrunes razor gleaming with wicked intent upon the assassin's belt.
"Sapphire, of the Nightingale thieves," he continued on to the woman he had once considered courting but who eventually became one of his most trusted allies "which I formed from the thieves' guild." The ebony haired beauty nodded, the Dwarven Black bow of Fate resting upon her back as Artemis eyed his thief guard with intent.
"And finally my sister, Serana of the College of Winterhold." He put a hand on his adopted Sister as she smiled at him warmly, the staff of Magnus in her hand as she gave him a big hug.
"They run the guilds for me but obey my final decisions while I run the rest of the country." He explained to the assembled gods and goddesses, who had a mixture of reactions. Some of the goddesses, like Aphrodite, were eyeing Farkas like eye candy albeit with more subtlety than the love goddess. Several of the gods were eying Serana or Sapphire appreciatively, Zeus and Malcolm outright leering, but most looked away when he cracked his knuckles threateningly. All looked confused at Veezara.
"Do you do anything normal?" Dionysus asked, flabbergasted "Don't you ever just, I don't know, go to a bar and have a drinking contest or something?"
"Last time I did that I became a champion for a god, ended up trashing a temple, stealing a goat, selling said goat to a giant, bought a wedding ring, almost got tricked into marrying a hagraven, and then partied in a pocket dimension only accessible through a ruin full of violent mages."
All was silent for a moment before Apollo and Hermes broke into wide grins "We are so going on an adventure with you sometime!" they declared in unison, looking practically giddy at the prospect.
"Dragon hunting after this stupid war ends?" he asked as the two immature gods cheered while the goddess of the hunt just groaned.
AN: Alright everyone, what was your favorite part of this chapter? Your least favorite? Predictions for the story? And Anything you'd like to see in the story? I'd love to hear it in a review.
