Chapter 3:
"ENOUGH!" Lady Styx shouted. "Phlegethon! Control your Champion! Zeus, if you do not stop right now, I will use your oath violation against you and force you to fade!"
This shut Zeus up quickly, but it definitely didn't shut up Alpha, who needed Beta and Ares to restrain him from ripping Zeus' head off. Ares was struggling and called Apollo and Hermes over to hold him off. Artemis attempted to sedate him with a tranquilizer arrow, which embedded itself thoroughly in his shoulder, injecting him with the sedative. He kept struggling, with what looked renewed effort, almost as if he hadn't had any adrenaline in his system until the arrow.
"Dear Hades! That was enough to knock out five elephants!"
"You… will need more… than that to take out Alpha." Beta panted out. "He once took 15 of them from your huntresses, my lady." He continued. Hestia walked over to Alpha, placed a hand on his shoulder, and whispered a few words into his ear.
"You do realize being stronger than Ares is going to make Aphrodite fuck you right?" She said.
"Yup, which we can do on top of Zeus' grave." Alpha said, clenching his jaw, he was mad enough to forget he hated Aphrodite, which was very, very mad. Phlegethon walked over to intervene. She raised a hand and backhanded him, which immediately had him standing straight up, arms at sides.
"Can you behave?" She said, he nodded curtly, clearly unhappy about the use of the subconscious behavior trigger she had ingrained in him. He stood back in his confident carriage. He flicked his hand at Athena in the direction of her throne and she shyly got up and walked back over, head down, rubbing her left arm with her right. Zeus, at this point, sat back down and Hera was glaring at him, clearly displeased that his pride had gotten the better of him.
"I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to allow my pride to take me over." He said, squeezing her hand. She allowed a smile to return to her face. Zeus had recalled his original love for Hera and hadn't had a demigod child in over 200 years.
"Well, let's move on. Shall we address the war in the Oceans?" Alpha asked, somewhat bored.
"How did you know of the War, we have kept it secret for 500 Years?" Poseidon asked.
"I'm the adopted son of the five Original Water Nymphs. I have swam in all five rivers. I have traversed the bottom of the Marianas Trench as a favor to a friend. (Easter Egg.) Two unwelcome presences of power in the domain I frequent would not go unnoticed." Alpha said. That was when the gods noticed that it was not blue fabric on his cloak, but translucent and flexible ice.
"Now. To the matter at hand, do you want me to kill the Titan and Giant or do you want me to train the demigods at Camp Half-Blood so they can defend against the massive army of monsters crawling through the remnants of the Labyrinth right now? Up to you."
"WHAT? Why didn't you lead with that?!" Aphrodite shrieked.
"Because the gods I respect either have no children or have children who won't die from a few monsters." Alpha spat at Aphrodite. The thing to understand is that Percy had forgiven all the gods, except for Aphrodite and Athena, it was mandatory for Phlegethon's training. Even Zeus. Although that had taken a while and he hadn't started until Zeus stopped cheating on Hera, but he didn't want him dead, mainly because Thalia would be distraught, she was a total daddy's girl.
"You dare disrespect me? Puny Demigod? I can make your life a living hell!" She shrieked, which pushed Alpha over the edge.
"YOU ALREADY DID!" Alpha shouted. "DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE ME? THE INNOCENT YOU BANISHED FROM HIS HOME AND LIFE?!" Percy threw off his hood, revealing his identity. His sea green eyes were dark olive with fury, and his sclera was glossy black in his left eye, as a result of the machinery that kept his brain operating leaking oil. His face had changed awfully, a smooth plate of asteri-sidirou, or "Star-Iron" ran up his left cheek and over part of his scalp.
"This metal is only here because you ordered Eros Junior to kill me. Has he reformed yet? I guess not, because I killed him three times over in Tartarus before he could. Do you sense love powers in my disguise? That's the power of his bow radiating out from this face plate. It's why I disguise it with tan skin and stubble in the Mist!"
"My son…" Poseidon said, getting over his shock.
"Hey, Dad." Percy said, a smile instantly returning to his face.
Poseidon shrunk down to human size, bolting over to Percy, Percy ran to him meeting him halfway with a force that shook the earth where they met. Tears cascaded down both of their faces.
When they let each other go, Poseidon grew a little and placed a kiss on his forehead, then continued growing and sat back down, his depression gone from his face. Percy flipped his hood back held his hand out and both halves of the bolt flew to each one.
"Apollo, could you lend me some plasma?" He asked, to which Apollo shot a ball of blinding purple light towards Percy. Percy used his power and held the ball in the air.
"Zeus, would you summon a lightning bolt to hit my right end of the bolt in three, two, one." Upon the end of the countdown the bolt struck the weapon and Percy slammed the two sides together, with the plasma in the middle. The two dead blue sides were reinvigorated with the lightning, and the bolt crackled just as it once did.
"Here you are, Zeus. A gesture of reconciliation on behalf of my second in command." Percy said, and tossed Zeus the bolt.
"It might have been a while otherwise before you could get the Hekatonkheires to craft you a new one. I will leave for Camp Half-Blood at once. Goodbye Uncle. I formally reclaim you as my family. Except for Mrs. Brains and Mrs. Beauty over there." Percy said, jabbing a finger in their direction. Aphrodite went red and Athena looked down in shame.
"Percy, apologize for breaking the bolt in the first place." Acheron said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. Percy mumbled an apology and before he could be asked to apologize better, summoned water from the Ophiotaurus cage and vapor traveled right next to Thalia's Pine. Peleus violently shook off the rainwater and postured to attack Percy.
"Whoa, Boy. It's just me, remember me?" Percy said, sticking out a clenched fist for Peleus to sniff. Peleus took an inhale and licked his hand. His face softening and his body drooping, just like how Mrs O'Leary used to.
I walked down into the camp and was tapped on the shoulder.
"Come on Beta, you're gonna tell me you don't want to go back. I'm gonna tell you you're under orders from Zeus and you can't." I said, turning around, meeting his pleading eyes above his half mask, covering his mouth. "And another thing, Put your hood up, you can have the half mask down but that hood stays up at all times, got it?" He nodded sullenly and pulled his hood up, clearly unhappy about it.
"Hello? Are you new to the camp?" A camper asked, walking up to us. I pulled away a few folds of my cloak and revealed my bead necklace, ten beads hung on the cord from my eight summers and two wars: A Bolt, Fleece, Erymanthean Boar Tusk, Labyrinth, Empire State Building, Scythe, Amalthea's Horn, Roman Helmet, Giant Head, and Gaea.
"I have not been here for many years, but I am by no means a rookie. Where is Chiron?" The girl was still in shock by the beads, only the Immortal Councillors had those exact beads, and even then, Piper, Leo, Jason, and Nico and Clarisse didn't have those exactly.
"Ira! Ari! Go fetch Chiron! We have a returnee to welcome!" A raven haired boy shouted, sauntering over to the girl, Thyia, and squeezing her ass.
"Get off me, you pig." She spat at him in disgust. He decided to do it again, this time, using his superior strength to pull her close and openly grope her. Percy took a step forward and pulled her away.
"She said stop. That means stop. Do you want it in Greek? Latin? French? Spanish? I can do that if you want."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" The boy said, raising himself up, which was still about eight inches shorter than Percy.
"I'm your superior. You listen to me." Percy said, showing his beads.
"I'm Roman. A son of Jupiter." The boy said in response, smiling smugly. Percy pulled his sleeve up, revealing his brand marks, five hundred and five years, (Percy kept track.) a war and killing Gaea, they spiraled around his forearm and trailed up his deltoid.
"I'm under your father's orders, and I'm still your superior. I'm superior even to your Preator, Jason Grace. I mentored him, Smoothie." (Smoothie is the slang name for no lines of service.) The boy paled, and straightened. A greek to be accepted into the Roman Legion was no easy feat, especially when they branded, they discontinued that practice about ten years ago.
"Name and Cohort, Smoothie."
"Cloven Hunt, Son of Jupiter and Ruith Grefina. First Cohort, Sir!" The boy said, roman discipline hadn't changed in 500 years apparently.
"About Face! Lead me to Chiron." Percy commanded.
"What is your name?" Thyia asked, staring at Percy's arm.
"None of your concern. Call me Alpha. This quiet guy behind me trying to hide in the shadows, is Beta. He's the Sage of the Order of the Azure Banner, the order I and two others started about 500 years ago. I'm the Ace, the two co-founders are the Lieutenants of the Order."
"How are you alive then? The Lotus Casino?" She asked, curiosity edging into her voice. Percy let out a chuckle.
"No, I was given immortality by the Council of the Five Rivers. Beta, go announce your presence to Code 14, no one else, and speak to no one. Anyone tries to stop you or hassle you, tell them you're under the orders of Zeus and walk past. Understood?"
"Yes, Ace." Beta said, perking up at the opportunity to tell his brothers in the Hermes Cabin he was alive. (Can you guess who it is yet?) Percy walked up the stairs on the Big House Porch and walked in without knocking, which he regretted. Lady Tyche, goddess of Luck, and Chiron were making out. He was in a younger form with no beard in his wheelchair, Tyche's legs draped over his and her arms around his neck. Percy closed the door and cleared his throat.
"Taking after your sons, Chiron?" Percy said, flipping down his hood and hanging his over cloak on the hat rack.
"Percy? My boy, dear gods what happened to your face?"
"I fought with Eros Junior. Four times, that's all. Although let me guess, this is your way of ensuring Lady Luck is on your side?" Percy said with a chuckle, Tyche blushed a deep gold, and Chiron climbed out of the wheelchair and gave Percy a hug.
"I can't believe you have returned, we all assumed you'd died in Tartarus."
"Chiron, seriously? Who did you think dropped the demigod children off here when there weren't enough satyrs to go around?" Percy said with a smile, flashing his asteri-sidirou teeth on the left side of his face before the tan skin and pearly white grew over it revealing how he once looked, without the original mirth in his eyes, a few scars, and black sclera in his left eye, that was permanent.
"Zeus sent me to train for the war, and the River Council decided it was time for me to come out of the shadows. Would you mind announcing my presence at the campfire tonight?"
"Are you certain that that's the best idea? Leo and Piper are gonna kill you when they find out you were alive all this time."
"I can handle the Human Torch and Beauty Queen." Percy said with his trademark lopsided smirk.
"Good to see you again Horse Boy. You too, Tyche. Maybe you would consider giving Chiron a little Felix Felicis? Eh?" Percy said before bolting out of the house, a golden faced Tyche hot on his heels, drawing attention from the campers.
Have fun with this chapter, 2117 words, not half bad, if I say so myself.