A/N: Welcome back for Chapter 10! Let me start by saying that since my courses and work are kicking my ass, this chapter made me cry at how difficult it was to write. But I actually surprised myself by getting this out as fast as I did. Then again, this was an exposition heavy chapter that I had planned from the very beginning of the story. This expands upon the universe a bit as I've made it.
Reviews:
sirGLOCKsalot- That was something I was hoping to avoid since the conception of this story. While I realize that this is a work of fiction, so technically anything can work with an explanation, I wanted to make the characters slightly more human. I'm fairly certain that very few women would be fine with constantly sharing their partner in all aspects of their lives. I mean, I get small experiments and stuff that people try in college, considering I am a university student, I can attest that some house-parties get kinda crazy. But that's more than likely always going to be a throw-away experience instead of something steady and solid. My reasoning stands in regard to Percy's ability as well. I see a lot of stories where he becomes a universal powerhouse with all sorts of elemental powers. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy stories with powerful Percy. I just wanted to try something a tad different. Thanks for the review!
Trigger-Happy Texan- I do hope people like how I decided to portray Chaos here. Thank you for your kind review!
Legacy of Olympus- I'm sorry you feel that way. As a majority of voters decided to ask for her, I will be keeping her in the pairing.
blurrybenjamin- No problem man. I try to write at least five hundred words every day, so chapters will more often than not come out within two weeks of one another, but I can't promise any specific days for uploads. I'm a simple Engineering major, and I have a part-time job I go to four days a week. If I didn't have other responsibilities I would write more than I currently am. Well, either way, thanks for your kind words and the review!
Guest- Sorry, but with a majority of voters asking for her in the polls, I've decided to keep her with Percy.
Shigure Toshiro- I'm glad that you liked the chapter. I felt like because of Percy's character, he would naturally feel quite conflicted about "betraying" Annabeth when his fatal flaw is all about loyalty. Thanks for the review!
Nebular Reaper- You reviewed in the right chapter! Percy and Scáthach will soon be traveling back to the U.S. for a small reunion with the Greco/Roman pantheons. I agree that the romance is actually slow, but I find myself pacing so that things won't seem jarring when Percy eventually does get together with his romantic interests. Slow and steady wins the race... unless its a 40-meter sprint I guess. Thanks for the review!
Raceman1234- Thanks for your kind words!
Guest 2- Thank you!
Uh Oh- It does seem that a few people don't like Annabeth, though I can't really understand why. She made mistakes, just like all humans do. Annabeth, just like everybody else in the story, will be painted as a person who can make errors in judgment. I mean, if you think about it, Scáthach has caused Percy quite a bit of physical pain, and Thalia and Hestia never tried to get to understand why Percy was in as much pain as he was during his time at camp. Well, enough of that. Thank you for your thoughts and the review!
Juan de Pablo- Well thank you very much for your kind words! I wanted to bring something slightly fresh to the table in the PJO fanfic section, and thus this idea was born. I'm just glad that other people find it entertaining!
SolidayHoliday- Thank you for the review!
justafan- I was actually thinking about a way to circumvent the problem of Percy's mortality, and I think I've got a few ideas that I'll play around with. The Apples of Immortality was always one of those ideas too, so I'll keep that suggestion in mind. I agree that Percy is being manipulated a lot, but so far things have worked out for him well enough if I do say so myself. Thanks for your review and ideas!
spnaph- Ah! My good friend! How good to hear from you once more. I'm glad that the chapter was a good and mellow one. That was my goal, since the previous installment was so action-packed. I'm also glad that I still have Percy's character down pat. It's really fun to work and twist things around to show just how difficult things can get for our favorite son of Poseidon. I'm glad that Percy's romantic plight is well received. It just felt natural to me, considering that I've kinda felt the same way before. Boy did that turn out terribly. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't scum-of-the-earth level or anything, but I made mistakes and had to deal with them justly. I've learned since then, and I felt that applying some of my own experience would humanize the characters a bit more for the audience. Thanks for the kind words and your continued reviews, they always make me smile!
Disclaimer: I do not make any money off this work of fanfiction. All rights for the characters in Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus go to Rick Riordan and all who were involved in the creation of the novels.
10. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid
Percy stared at the woman standing before him who claimed that she was the grand creator. Chaos, one of the most revered beings in Greek Mythology was an enigma to practically everybody that even knew her name. There were few records of her, either written or verbalized. Percy knew that she was extremely powerful, considering her position, and as such, refusing her could potentially turn into a dangerous situation. Admittedly, he normally disregarded etiquette and respect for gods and divine beings in favor of acting like himself, but given just who he was speaking with, he found himself hard pressed to decline her.
Chaos put her hand down, her twinkling eyes never leaving the former demigod. The wind blew through her black hair, pushing it off to the side and causing it to flutter in front of her face. She moved forward, her footfalls making no noise as she strode to where Percy and Scáthach stood. She smoothed her hair away from her eyes and mouth, her hands committing no wasted effort in the process. Everything that she did was flawless, almost artificially so. The way that her smile crinkled the corners of her eyes and formed small dimples on her cheeks seemed out of place on her perfect face.
Unconsciously, the son of Poseidon took a step back as the creator drew close. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned slightly to see Scáthach staring at the primal being with narrow eyes. Taking a deep breath, Percy turned back to face Chaos. The wind had stopped blowing, but the lapping of the waves and the seagulls kept the ambiance alive, even as the odd tension between Chaos and those who stood apart from her continued to build.
"When you said 'borrow', what did you mean?" Percy asked, his voice carrying through the air tonelessly. His eyes didn't waver, even as the creator closed the distance before he could think to blink. She stood before him, arms crossed over her chest as she looked directly into his eyes. The two were of the same height, both being nearly six-feet tall, and yet even then Percy felt like he was being looked down upon. As she simply stood a foot in front of him, he felt his skin crawl and his heart skip a beat from the raw wild nature of her presence.
Chaos cocked her head to the side. "I meant exactly what I said. I wish to borrow you for a little while so that we can discuss some things that have been weighing on my mind. I can assure you of this, no harm will come to you during this time. In fact, I guarantee that you'll be more than pleased with the outcome of our meeting."
Her voice matched his own monotonous intonation, almost an exact replica of the inflection, or lack thereof, that he had implemented himself. He noticed that she stood with her shoulders squared, just like his were. His eye twitched almost imperceptibly, and in that instance, hers did the same. Percy looked down and found that her feet were apart, like his own. In a way, it truly felt like she was artificial, only copying the subtle nuances of what it meant to be alive.
"Where do you plan on taking him?" Scáthach questioned, finding her voice and speaking for the first time since Chaos' arrival. "Technically we can be called by our benefactor any moment, and don't want to explain how a primordial being came and took away one of his warriors. One who is nearly a necessity for countering a variety of gods that we could encounter."
Chaos looked at Scáthach blandly. Her twinkling eyes lost a bit of sheen when they landed on the witch's form. "If that's the case then it doesn't matter where I take him, just how long I have him for. With that being such, I would say that you don't have any reason to be worried. I will only be taking him for a short period of time, perhaps one hour, two at the most. During that time, I seriously doubt that your benefactor will miss Percy too much."
Scáthach placed her hands on her hips and thinned her lips. "I appreciate that you would be so thoughtful of our needs, but I still can't help but feel uncomfortable with Percy simply being taken by a being who hasn't been heard from since the beginning of time."
"I see," Chaos responded with a smile. "In other words, you actually don't care about your benefactor's needs, but rather you yourself are anxious to allow Percy to come with me. Either way, the outcome will still be the same. He will come with me, whether you want it to happen or not. I can give you a variety of reasons, but the most prominent would simply be that you have no power to stop me from doing what I want." The goddess finished with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Scáthach went to step forward, but she was stopped by Percy holding out his arm in front of her. She looked at him with slight incredulity.
"Let's not do anything rash now," Percy said, looking over to his friend. He gave her a small smile. "If Chaos wanted to kill me or something, she would have done so already. I mean, I'm pretty sure she has more than enough power to do so." He moved his attention back to the primordial.
Chaos shrugged her shoulders smoothly, a smirk crossing her lips as her eyes lit up once more when she trained her vision on Percy. "That is true. I have no reason to kill you at the moment, and I do so hope that you don't give me one." Her smirk morphed into a small frown as she spoke. "While I don't think you would be foolish enough to do something to aggravate me, I do believe that sometimes you manage to cause problems without trying. Of course, if that were the case, I do suppose I could turn a blind eye."
In that moment, Percy could only wonder exactly how long Chaos had been watching him for. True enough, he had always seemed to stir up trouble wherever he went, in practically every situation. Though, if he were being honest with himself, he could hardly control what came out of his mouth when he was younger. Both his youthful naïvety and his ADHD combined helped contribute to the lack of a verbal filter. In the end, he supposed everything had gone well enough, considering that he was still alive even after what he had been through. The son of Poseidon looked at the primordial with suspicion lurking in his eyes. He questioned just how much the creator knew about him, and why she had taken such an interest to begin with.
"Would you mind explaining what you meant when you interrupted my partner and I?" Percy asked suddenly. The goddess had implied that she had an inkling into what the silver-haired deity was planning, something which Percy was partial to understanding. Out of all the deities that Percy had ever met or fought, it was perhaps Crom Cruach above all others that he would give both his respect and fear. That wasn't to say that the young man didn't fear Chaos herself, or any other powerful being for that matter, however he hadn't experienced the raw, primal fear of death by their hands like he had Crom Cruach's. The contradictory god was had come close to killing him multiple times during their fight, and Percy had grown far stronger than he ever had been as a demigod. He shuddered to think what would become of others who would fight Crom.
He glanced at his magenta-haired companion, biting his lower lip discreetly. If she had fought Crom, Percy wasn't sure that Scáthach would have been the victor of their fight. While he knew that his mentor was nowhere near weak, he doubted that she could match the sheer strength that Crom had outputted. That, along with the nasty reveal of his other domains could have been more than enough to have pulled the fight in his favor. If Percy hadn't been given the curse of vitality then he was sure that he would have been killed fighting against Crom Cruach.
Chaos cupped her chin with one hand as she pondered the question. "Well, there should be no harm in telling you right now. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this actually, and I do hope that you won't think too poorly of me." The goddess gave a sheepish chuckle. "You see, I actually had Crom Cruach as my informant on the inside of Spenta Mainyu's little circle of associates. I told him to act as if he were following Spenta Mainyu and his orders to the letter, but truthfully I never expected that they would try to open a portal to the Realm of the Faded and extract the lost gods from there. Unfortunately, before I could find out the situation, my attention was pulled away from Earth for a while to another planet that was undergoing some turmoil. I take my eyes off of this place for a few weeks and things go from bad to worst. I also didn't expect Crom to be fighting against you, Percy. Had I known, I would have asked that he not injure you too much."
At that, Percy balked a little. His mind raced with the knowledge that Crom Cruach was, in fact, a spy for Chaos. "How long has he been informing you on what Spenta Mainyu is up to?"
"Hm," The creator tapped her chin with her index finger, eyes pointed to the sky in consideration. "Probably… six months or so. Not very long admittedly. Truthfully, it was almost by pure coincidence that we met. You see, I was hoping to find somebody that could give me some knowledge on what Spenta was planning, and I literally ran into Crom Cruach while I was pondering the small dilemma in my mind."
"He agreed to help you? Just like that? It sounded like he has his own ideas when we fought, so that must mean that you as well share his sentiments," Percy stated quickly.
Chaos inclined her head. "You would be correct. I care little for seeing the world change. Unfortunately, I am governed by laws even more stringent that those that have been placed on my other creations, thanks to my mother." The sigh that escaped her lips was one of weary exasperation.
"Your mother? I thought you were the first one in the universe," Percy muttered, crossing his arms.
The primordial walked away from Percy and Scáthach, moving toward the railing that stood by the edge of the gazebo. She placed her hands on the metal, staring out at the setting sun as it dipped below the water's illusionary edge. Salty air picked up once again, causing the goddess to squint a little as she watched the seagulls flutter their wings in an attempt to stabilize themselves from the sudden gust.
"I'm not surprised that you would be of that knowledge. There are varying accounts of the genesis of this universe, and yet none of them are completely correct," She stated, turning around and leaning against the railing. "My mother is Ananke, and my father, Chronos. From them, I was born, and from myself alone came most other life in the universe."
"You keep saying 'most' other life. What do you mean by that? It's a very peculiar way of saying things," Scáthach noted, her face impassive as she stared at the goddess.
"I'm afraid that this is where I draw the line. I'm going to take Percy with me so that we can finish the conversation without any interruptions from outside sources," Chaos responded blandly. "I hope you have no problems with that."
Scáthach shook her head with anger visible in her expression. "I'm afraid I do have problems with that."
The goddess rolled her sparkling eyes, which had never left Percy's form throughout the entirety of the conversation. "Unfortunately I was speaking to Percy, not you. You aren't his mother, nor are you his keeper. He is above you in so many ways, and yet I see you still trying to reach out and grasp onto him." Finally, Chaos turned her attention to the magenta-haired witch. "Percy is like a light, isn't he? Shining in the dark, and turning repentant sinners away from the darkness that seeps into this world."
The son of Poseidon himself looked at the two women oddly. He coughed to get their attention after the two didn't stop their staring contest. "Chaos, I'll go with you to discuss whatever it is you wanted." He raised his hand and cut off the imminent retort from Scáthach.
Chaos clapped her hands together with a smile. "Excellent! I was afraid that I would have to forcibly take you with me. My, that would have left a bad taste in my mouth for a few minutes." She stepped forward and placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. Without warning, the two blinked out of existence, leaving Scáthach alone in the gazebo, listening to the sounds of the bay.
A buzz lit up Percy's nervous system as the world twisted and turned around itself. Electricity shot through his body and coursed through his veins as liquid nitrogen seemed to fill his stomach. His body felt compounded and stiff, then in the next moment, it felt free, as if he had lost all semblance of a solid form. Time had no meaning, and yet it was all he could think about as the intense feeling of being crushed weighed down upon him. He still had fairly coherent thought, and as such he knew that Chaos had teleported him someplace without even giving him a warning. Yet, that wouldn't have been too bad, considering that he was vaguely accustomed to the feeling of divine teleportation. It was for that reason that he wondered why he was feeling so terrible.
Before he could think on the question further, he was dropped unceremoniously on something cold and hard. He landed face-down, groaning in discomfort more than pain. A wave of fresh nausea took hold of him and caused him to clenched his eyes shut tightly. Percy didn't move for some time, waiting for the turning in his gut to stop and for his mind to clear of the haze that settled over it. After regaining a better bearing on the world, he opened his eyes, noticing the soft light that brushed against his vision. He blinked a few times before he took in his surroundings. As it was, he was lying flat on his stomach, practically kissing the white marble floor.
The son of Poseidon pushed himself off the ground. With shaky legs, he stood up, looking around. From what he could gather, he was in a mid-sized vestibule. To his left were three separate doors made of wood. On his right was an equal number of doors of the same material, although all of the doors were open. Directly in front of him stood two curved staircases that led to an upper-level. One could see a few doors on the upper floor before the hallway was cut from view by thick stone walls. In between both staircases were a set of large double doors. The vestibule was sparsely decorated, with only a few accessories such as a grand piano and a few statues littered across the room. The walls were made of the same kind of marble that the floor was, which lead to a white-wash color permeating in Percy's vision.
Suddenly, he reared back as a small dancing ball of fire floated directly in before him. The fire was a warm orange-yellow, and looked to be able to fit inside his hand should he have attempted to grab at it. Percy frowned when he saw the fire simply pass by him through the air, dancing its way further from his position. Looking around the room more closely, he realized that there were many more of the small fires simply hovering transiently across the vestibule. The flickering flames helped cast a warm glow through the room, contrasting with the white stone that kept the atmosphere feeling cool.
Percy blinked as he watched the fires pass straight through the walls of the room, almost as if they were intangible. He was sure that he was wrong in that respect, but couldn't understand how the fires could pass through solid objects and still emit light as if their photons were tangible matter. The former demigod jumped a little when a small orb of fire exited his body from the chest, a bit perturbed that he hadn't felt it pass through his torso.
"Welcome, Percy," Chaos called out from the top of the stairs, where she was leaning against the railing. She smiled down at the raven-haired man, slowly descending down the steps, running her hand across the wooden handrails. Her long legs bent perfectly at the knee as she made her indolent movements. The primordial's eyes glittered in the warm orange glow that the fires cast. She moved a strand of hair out of the way of her face, pushing the stray lock to the side and behind her ear. Percy stood, practically transfixed as he watched the perfect goddess make her way downstairs.
But underneath her beauty and wonder, Percy could feel the primal energy flow through and dominate the room. It whipped at the very essence of reality as the area directly around Chaos wavered and rippled where she walked. As she passed with unnatural grace, Percy realized that there was something off about the creator goddess. He had already understood what it was when they were in Scotland. For all intents and purposes, Chaos was too perfect to be seen as a living, sentient being. It was like looking into the very heart of the word grace. A concept, instead of reality.
"Chaos," Percy said as the primordial took the final step off the stairs. She walked toward him and stopped a few feet away. With itching skin and a twitching hand, Percy asked, "Where are we?"
Having noticed his discomfort due to her proximity, Chaos let her smile drop slightly as she took two steps back. "Apologies. I'm not accustomed to interacting with mortals. Due to my mother's stringent restrictions on my person, I rarely get to go out and enjoy what the mortal realm has to offer." She shook her head, before gesturing to the room at large. "To answer your question, however, I transported us to my home. We're in the center of the universe."
Percy blinked a few times and scratched the top of his head. "Really? I thought the center of the universe was like… a supermassive black hole or whatever."
"To mortals, it may seem that way, but I can assure you that there is no black hole here. Even I would be hard-pressed to create or nullify the massive gravitational pull that is a black hole. In other words, constantly using my energy in order to stop my home from being ripped apart at the molecular level would not be my definition of a pleasant activity," Chaos explained nonchalantly. She looked around the room. "Admittedly, it didn't take long to build the house, but my parents were quite particular when it came to the decorations, and I'm afraid that if this was destroyed they would have me do the remodeling for them. I'd rather avoid that situation if I could."
"So then there is no black hole at the center of the universe?" Percy asked.
Chaos gave him a lopsided smile. "No. Some species in the universe already know this. Humans are simply behind in that regard. But I suppose there can be no fault placed on them. They are a relatively young species. Some of my other creations have lived five times the length of your people. No need to feel inadequate in that case."
The young man decided to change the subject. "You brought me here for a reason right? What did you want to talk about that you felt the need to bring me trillions of light-years away from Earth to do so?"
The primordial motioned for Percy to follow with her hand. She turned around and walked toward the double doors between the stairs, Percy moving to trail behind her a few steps. Chaos pushed through the doors and stepped into a grand hallway. Several two tier crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, which was slightly curved upward. The chandeliers were magnificent in scale, each being larger than ten feet in diameter. The walls of the hallways were decorated with all forms of artwork, ranging from mundane oil canvas paintings to moving three-dimensional models of different structures, and even to re-runs of black and white television shows and movies. Percy stared at the grandiose environment with slight disbelief. As unfortunate as it was, he could say that he was becoming desensitized to the wonders of the greater universe. That being said, he certainly wasn't at the point where nothing could shock or awe him.
The hallway stretched long and far, so much so that Percy couldn't see the end, even as he strained his eyes to do so. The two walked in relative silence, the only noise being made was by their feet as they moved along the hard floor. Percy admired the artistic value that the walls held, letting his eyes linger on certain pieces for some time before eventually shifting his focus onto another exquisite display. He looked over at Chaos and saw that she kept her eyes forward, not allowing them to wander as he was doing. Percy supposed that she must have already seen all of the artwork that her home had to offer, considering it was she who undoubtedly picked out each piece. Not to mention that the goddess probably passed by every work hundreds of times for who knows how long.
"So... do you like living here?" Percy asked awkwardly, trying to elicit some conversation to fill the time. "I mean, it's a pretty neat place you've got here. And the art is top-notch that's for sure. But it does seem kinda big if you're the only one who lives here."
Chaos looked at him oddly prior to answering. "I am not the only one who lives here. My parents, Ananke and Chronos also call this mansion their home. I was simply the one to create it. While none out of the three of us need to have a roof over our head or any modern accommodation, it still feels nice to have a tangible area to call home. I spent quite some time trying to get this just right, so I'm glad that you like it. Consider yourself lucky, you're the second mortal to have ever visited." She calmly let her eyes strafe across the room, her expression neutral as she took in the sight.
Percy gave her an inquisitive glance, his eyebrow cocked. Knowing that he was only the second mortal to have ever been invited to the center of the universe certainly was interesting. In truth, he had never expected his life to evolve into what it had become. Never in his dreams had he pictured himself walking inside of the home to the three oldest beings in existence. Especially not with Chaos herself walking right beside him, answering his questions in a semi-amiable fashion. He couldn't help but wonder who had been the first person to walk through the center of the universe, and if Chaos had invited that person as well, or if it had been Chronos or Ananke.
"Only the second huh? I do feel honored I guess. I just wish I knew exactly why I was here in the first place," Percy muttered under his breath. Chaos must have heard him though because she turned to face him with a slightly amused smirk.
"Patience. You will be awarded your answers soon enough. Trust me when I say that if I didn't feel the necessity to bring you to my home, then I wouldn't have. Thus, you should understand that what I have to discuss is for our ears only. I would explain to you a bit of history right now, however, I would need my parents' permission to do so, which is why we are walking to meet them right now," Chaos stated, pointing her finger toward the other end of the hallway. Percy frowned when he saw a pair of doors sitting neatly where Chaos had indicated. He was sure that they hadn't been there the last time he had looked. In fact, he hadn't seen the end of the hallway at all. Now, though, there was a clear end in sight, one that wasn't there previously. With a shake of his head, the former demigod decided not to dwell on the oddities that he had experienced within the past several minutes. In a sense, he had expected no less considering where he was and who he was with.
"Since you feel comfortable introducing me to them, your parents aren't gonna vaporize me or anything right? They won't be angry that you brought a lowly mortal into their house? I do hope that's the case because the novel experience of having practically every divine being I come across try to kill me is growing stale," Percy fretted, running a hand through his hair. "I mean they can't be angry since it was you who brought me―or rather dragged me―here, even if it wasn't really against my will."
Chaos tapped a finger against her chin as she thought about the question. Each second that she remained pondering only aided in creating more tension in Percy's body. He silently bemoaned his luck. Even when he wasn't a demigod he was still given the short end of the stick apparently. The son of Poseidon allowed his head to fall into his hands as he walked, slowly taking deep breaths in order to calm his nerves as the doors that would lead to Ananke and Chronos drew ever closer. Percy gave his companion a sideways glance, only to see her giving him an apologetic look. Unfortunately, it did nothing to help him relax, inducing even more anxiety in the former demigod.
"I don't believe that they would go that far," Chaos finally responded as the duo reached the doors. She seemed pensive as she spoke, not bringing up Percy's confidence in the least. "As long as I explain why I brought you here then things will play out smoothly." With that said, she placed a hand on the door and pushed it open.
Percy walked in after Chaos, entering a vast space that couldn't be called a room. There were no walls that could be seen, along with no floor or ceiling. Instead, what permeated the room was an inky darkness. Percy took a tentative step after Chaos, seeing that she wasn't falling into the black endless space that surrounded them. It felt odd to him, considering that there was a mental dissonance between what he was seeing and what he was feeling. It felt like there was a solid surface underneath him, but his eyes couldn't perceive anything that would support him. It was different from simply stepping into a dark room. He could certainly see beyond whatever it was he walked on, as if there was glass beneath him. The only reasons he could see as it stood were the lights that appeared to be spiraling galaxies which floated in the space. Percy blinked a few times as his brain tried to comprehend the situation it had found itself in. Vertigo was slowly setting in as his rational mind attempted to sift through the information that was being sent its way, yet it couldn't stand against the delirium that was overlapping his senses.
Raw energy wafted through the environment, sending lightning through Percy's scalp and igniting his skin. Every nerve in his body lit up in a soft hum. He felt his throat constrict slightly, his mouth suddenly dry and his lips cracked. His hands jittered in place even as he clenched them to form fists in an attempt to control their movements. He blinked as he tried to gather his wits about him. So caught up in his own hysteria had he been, that Percy hadn't noticed that Chaos had placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked at the hand, and followed it back to the body it was connected to. Percy noted that he was now standing right beside the primordial goddess, instead of behind her. The former demigod also noticed that in front of him were two people. sitting in a pair of comfortable looking recliners. The figure on the left was a man with a head full of white hair, almost like fresh powdered snow that had fallen. He had a soft goatee growing around his face and deep aquatic blue eyes. He looked to be no older than forty years old, but Percy knew from the way that the air shimmered around him that he was far older. On the man's right sat a woman with kindly, emerald green eyes and light brown hair the fell in soft waves to her shoulders. Smile lines were apparent on her face, being prominent around her cheeks and eyes. She too looked to be near the same age as the man that sat beside her. When he took into consideration where they were, Percy could only assume that the two sitting in front of him were, in fact, Chronos and Ananke, Chaos' parents.
Silence descended upon the room, or perhaps it had always been there and Percy simply hadn't noticed it until that moment. He swallowed heavily in order to relieve his dry throat, allowing himself the small reprieve. Chronos and Ananke were letting their eyes move from Chaos to Percy, examining the son of Poseidon with intense scrutiny. There was nothing said for several tense seconds, only serving to fuel the anxiety that had built in Percy's stomach. The lead ball that had formed became even heavier when he saw Ananke narrow her eyes in what appeared to be disdain. He clenched his jaw, fighting the shake of his arms and legs. The hand on his shoulder soon became the only thing that anchored him to where he was. From Chaos' grip, he felt empowered to keep resisting the gentle dementia that had invaded a small part of his brain. Yet even though it had started small, it had carved itself a larger portion, slowly violating the rest of his mind. Even his mental barriers―of which he was quite proud of―could do nothing to stop the encroaching sense of dread that poisoned his every thought.
"Welcome back Chaos," Ananke finally spoke, breaking the unbearable silence. "You come before us, with a mortal no less. Tell me―or rather tell us―why you have disregarded my laws, which I created and set for a purpose, especially the ones that regard to your own person. You know that I am lenient, yet you come here after blatantly ignoring my commands. I give you this opportunity to explain, considering that the last mortal you brought indeed had worth, and proved itself a benefit in the end."
Chaos released her hold on Percy's shoulder, allowing the cold madness to settle in on him. She dipped her head in respect to her parents. "Apologies mother, father, but I believe that this mortal will be paramount in settling the situation on Earth."
"Is that so? Humor me in telling why you believe this then, my daughter? Perhaps if your reasoning is sufficient I won't be inclined to destr-" Ananke was interrupted by a loud snore coming from her immediate left. All eyes turned toward Chronos, who was resting his head on the back of his chair. His mouth was agape, letting go of a few snorts as he breathed in. Ananke for her sighed heavily and reached out to pinch her husband's face.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Chronos exclaimed as his wife's fingers twisted the skin of his cheek painfully. He rubbed the abused area in soft circles, giving his wife a small pout, which looked fairly out of place on the Primordial of Time. "That hurt Ananke. Why'd you have to do it so hard?"
The Primordial of Necessity and Destiny huffed and crossed her arms. "I was here, trying to intimidate Percy Jackson, and you had to go and fall asleep while I was getting to the threats!"
Chronos rolled his eyes and slouched in his chair. "Well, it was taking too long. I mean we spent like a full minute just staring at him and Chaos. Do you know all of the things that could happen in a minute? I'll tell you-"
"-A lot. Yes, I know that dear, you tell me that all the time," Ananke shook her head. "Don't you think it would have been fun to scare the wits out of this young man, though? I mean, he's such an interesting mortal, I think it would have been quite interesting to see if he would have fainted." Ananke gave Percy an eerie smile.
The Primordial of Time gave Percy a wry smile as he ignored his wife. "I apologize for Ananke's odd hobby. She's fairly relaxed when you get to know her more, but as it is she started watching human television. Ever since then all she can talk about it some program called 'Punk'd' something or other. I can attest that she's been attempting to prank me and Chaos for the past few months nonstop," Chronos explained, giving his wife a side glance.
"I tell you Chronos, those mortals think of the most interesting things! Even though we shouldn't physically interact with them, that doesn't mean we can't share in their ingenuity. Just the other day, for example, I saw a man wrestle a crocodile!" Ananke exclaimed with wide eyes. "I was so riveted that the man would place himself in such peril simply for entertainment value. I would never have thought that Chaos' creations would ever reach where they are today," The ancient primordial admitted.
Chaos rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "O ye of little faith. I always told you that my little children would someday become interesting. But all I heard for centuries was 'They'll never amount to anything' and 'Why don't you put your talents to something more productive.' Now look at you, sitting in front of the T.V. for hours upon hours watching mortal entertainment."
"If I can interject?" Percy spoke up, ceasing the verbal interplay between the three primordials.
"Of course dear. I apologize, we almost forgot that you were there," Ananke said with a genial smile.
Chaos scoffed at her mother. "Speak for yourself. I was just waiting to see how long he would keep quiet while in the midst of three super-powerful beings. Honestly, I figured he would take a bit longer, but I guess you never know what Percy will do. I believe somebody already told you this, but you are fantastic at ruining the plans of immortals."
For his part, the former demigod shrugged helplessly. "It's what I do. Before we get sidetracked, though, do you mind telling me how you knew who I was?" He directed his inquiry to Ananke.
The goddess for her part cocked her head to one side as she looked at him with confused eyes. Percy wondered if he had indeed asked a stupid question, given that Ananke was staring at him as such. "I'm the Primordial of Destiny, young man. Do you truly think that I didn't know that this would happen? Out of all the outcomes of your life, this was one of them. You, ending up here, at the center of the universe, speaking with Chronos and myself in order to gain the blessing to wed our daughter. Now, as Chaos is a grown woman already, I cannot make any decision for her, but I suppose her choice in you wasn't terrible."
Percy's mouth opened and closed, his eyes glazing over as he replayed Ananke's words in his mind. He looked to his left, only to see Chaos rubbing her temples in small circular motions. She was muttering something under her breath, but the son of Poseidon couldn't make out any exact words. Chaos shook her head and adopted a phlegmatic expression as she raised her head to look at Ananke.
"Mother, please, enlighten me to the reason that you believe Percy is here to ask for my hand in marriage?" Chaos' voice was blasé when addressing the other primordial.
Tapping her finger to her chin, the goddess pondered the question for a few seconds before she deigned it time to answer. "Well, destiny is quite a fickle thing, and the last time I checked the way Percy's was playing out made it seem that he would fall in love with you. I didn't look too far into it, but I knew that you would eventually find him worthy and fall madly in love with him too. Then you would both agree to gain the blessings of your parents for the marriage. Sally Jackson would fully support her child of course, as long as he was happy, and while Chronos and I would be slightly adverse to the idea of our immortal daughter being involved with a mortal man we would give you two our blessing."
Chronos placed his hand on Ananke's shoulder to calm her from her longwinded explanation. "Dear, I believe that you've been watching too many of those Japanese shoujo anime programs. As you said, that was simply one possibility for his future. I think that you may have focused on that one just a tad too much and ignored the multitude of other possibilities."
Ananke looked at Percy and Chaos, seeing them both staring at her with slight apprehension. "Wait... you mean that you aren't here to ask for Chaos' hand as your wife?"
"Er... no?" Percy offered apologetically.
Chaos shook her head at the same time. "Not even close."
Ananke deflated in her chair and moped, tracing her finger over the arm of the recliner. Percy almost felt bad when he saw the sulking goddess, knowing that in a way it was his fault that she had gotten so worked up. Rationally he knew that it technically wasn't his fault, considering that she had only seen one outcome out of the probable thousands, but there was still a treacherous part of his brain that formed a seed of guilt. Then again, at least he hadn't been quite as brutal in his response as Chaos had been. He took slight solace in knowing he hadn't savagely crushed Ananke's hopes and dreams like her daughter might very well have done.
"Right... I was actually hoping to finally learn why I was brought here," Percy supplied.
"Well, I was going to get to that part, but my parents seem to like going off on tangents about inane subjects," Chaos retorted dryly. "The reason we came here was two-fold. First, I wanted to get away from any prying ears or eyes, especially those of a certain God of Evil that I know you're well acquainted with. Second, I need the permission from my parents in order to tell you the story of the beginnings of the universe. That way you'll understand some things a bit better."
Both Chronos and Ananke gave their daughter a surprised look. They glanced at one another before they both turned their attention to Percy, who fidgeted slightly under their intense gaze.
"We hope you understand that what is about to be disclosed to you is no small trifle. Never speak of this outside of Chaos, Ananke, or myself," Chronos stated, his tone showing no room for discussion. "If you do tell anybody what you're about to hear, I will personally travel back in time to before you do so and wipe out your entire family. Do you understand?"
Percy felt his anger grow at the threat toward his mother, Paul, and the little sister that he was sure he had. He clenched his teeth and curled his fingers. "While I don't appreciate your threat to my family, I understand how important this might be."
In an instant, Chronos was in front of Percy. A fist collided with Percy's gut, sending the young man several feet back. He rolled a few times before he gained his bearings and stopped his momentum. He gripped his stomach as he fought the urge to vomit what he'd eaten earlier that day. Through grit teeth and baleful eyes, the son of Poseidon stood straight. Before he could say anything Chronos flicked his wrist and Percy was pulled forward by an unknown force. Tumbling along the "ground" he stopped a foot in front of Chronos. The primordial was about to bring his foot down on the curse-bearer when he was forced to step back. A flash of silver in the dim light had caught his eye just as it was sent in an upward arc toward his body. Percy jumped up to his feet and hefted Algos in his left hand.
"You don't understand anything if you believe that what you are about to learn 'might' be important," Chronos said calmly. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, before turning around and walking back to his recliner. "Never tell anybody. No exceptions. A slip of your tongue may be what destroys this universe as we know it. That would be a far greater loss than the life of you and your mortal family."
Chronos sat down and crossed his legs. Ananke and Chaos both simply stared at the Primordial of Time, one with worry and the other with irritation. He leaned his face on his fist and motioned to Chaos with his free arm.
Percy allowed Algos to dematerialize into concept once again when Chaos turned to him and spoke. "I'm sorry about that Percy, but my father is right. Do your utmost to ensure that this never reaches the ears of anybody but us. You'll be the first person other than the three of us who learn of this, and we recognize that risk, but that doesn't mean that we won't accept any intelligence leaks."
Percy frowned and sighed heavily. "If you keep speaking in riddles I'll die before you ever tell me this extremely dangerous secret. I'll do my damnedest to make sure that this never gets out if that promise means anything to you immortals. Now if you would go ahead and get to the point I would really appreciate it."
"Very well, with their permission, I'll start from the beginning," Chaos started, clearing her throat. She conjured two chairs that faced one another, and a small table in between the seats. On the table appeared a pitcher full of water and two glasses. When motioned, Percy sat down on the padded leather, sinking into the chair. Chaos took the seat opposite him and poured the two of them half a glass of water. She took a sip and leaned back a bit.
"My mother and father were the first sentient beings to appear in the dimension we currently inhabit. This dimension consists of the universe as we know it, and is the blanket dimension that covers this area of existence. You see, there are multiple blanket dimensions in existence, which do not interact with one another, but are similar in many features. Do you know of what I speak?" Chaos asked, looking pointedly at the son of Poseidon.
Percy nodded. "Yeah, I heard about parallel universes and stuff if that's what you mean. But when you say 'blanket dimension' are you implying that there are things beneath that blanket?"
"Exactly. Inside of the blanket dimension, there are smaller pocket dimensions. Tartarus is one such pocket dimension. Purgatory is another of those. Neither are as large as the blanket dimension that they 'reside under' as I would put it, but both are separate entities in their own right." Chaos explained, steepling her fingers while she spoke. "As I said, there are multiple blanket dimensions, with their own universes and pocket dimensions. Now, where in this dimension mother and father were the first, in other dimensions where this is not always so. That being said, they are not the main creator deities for this dimension either. That honor goes to me. Once more, this is not the case for all of existence."
"You're saying that in other dimensions there are different 'main creator' deities?" Percy inferred with a cocked eyebrow.
"Yes. Not only that but in this dimension, I am not the only creator. There have been others. Those others, however, are not of this dimension. The other creators and 'supreme deities' are simply a fragment of what they truly are in their own dimension. They have no higher power than myself and are simply pretenders to their titles. To understand how these pretenders came about interacting with this dimension, you must first know that when I was still young an event of massive proportions occurred in the universe." Chaos paused and took a sip from her glass. She set the glass down and tapped her finger on the arm of her chair. The primordial's eyes were closed as she allowed herself to catch her breath. "The Conjunction of Realities. An event that ripped the fabric of all the blanket dimensions apart. It was an outward ripple of energy on a universal scale. The event was not simply an explosion of energy, however. It also tore a part of my parents and my own essence away from us. A few millennia later, and there came into being, without my interference, a massive group of 'supreme beings' that likened themselves to the one true absolute power of this universe. War soon erupted between these 'supreme beings' as was natural. Due to mother's laws, I didn't interfere, simply trying to solve the puzzle of what exactly had happened. It was then that I came to the conclusion that these deities must have been the small aspects of their true selves from different dimensions. It made sense, of course, considering that each believed that they were the one true power in the universe. That wasn't true in this dimension, but in their own respective realities, it probably was.
Millions of years of war and many of those 'supreme gods' were killed. Eventually, most of them tired of constant battle. They finally struck an accord of peace and of non-aggression. Many of them went off to other galaxies in order to get away. A few of them eventually made it to the Milky Way galaxy, one of my newest creations. It was then that I revealed myself and my parent's to most of the remaining invaders, wherever they were. Most of them accepted that they were not the ultimate power in the universe and that they had been trapped in a completely alternate dimension to their own. Or at least, this was the lie that I told them. What I truly believe, though, is that with a truly massive influx of energy, another Conjunction of Realities is a possibility. I kept that information for myself," Chaos stopped and scratched her eyebrow with her index finger.
Percy took the time to ask his question. "Why didn't you tell them what you thought?"
Chaos chuckled a bit at his inquiry. "Please. If they knew that they weren't stranded in this dimension and that they could get back to their own, they would probably try to cause another Conjunction. I'm sure that doesn't sound bad to you, but that's because you don't know what it entails. The only Conjunction to occur released a massive wave of physical energy that spanned the universe in its entirety. If that were to happen again then it would destroy practically all mortal life as I know it. I'm not really looking for that to happen so, for now, I'll avoid allowing it. Maybe once I get bored I'll want to start over, but until that point..." Chaos shrugged, showing her stance on the matter.
With a shudder, Percy replied, "I don't understand why you're telling me all this, fascinating as it is."
"Of course you don't, I didn't expect you too since I was about to enlighten you," Chaos responded imperiously, sniffing down at the former demigod. "Allow me to start by saying that Crom Cruach's stunt regarding the Realm of the Faded was not what I intended. I should have been there to tell him not to follow those specific orders, but like I said I was held up watching another galaxy. Let me put things like this. I created the Realm of the Faded for my divine creations alone. Yet other deities made by other 'creator gods' somehow ended up in this realm after they decided to fade."
"Wait..." Percy held up his hand to stop Chaos. He felt it was fairly audacious of him to assume he could interrupt the primordial as he pleased, but he figured there was little risk of him being disintegrated on the spot. After all, she had already gone through so much trouble. There would have been next to no reason to waste her time by destroying him for a small, if impolite, gesture. "Gods decide to fade? I thought-"
"-You thought wrong obviously," Chaos snarked condescendingly as she cut Percy off. "If they want, yes, gods can choose to move on to the Realm of the Faded. In the cases of the gods not of my lineage, this really is their only choice if they wish to continue to exist."
Percy scratched his head. "I'm not sure I follow."
The Primordial of Creation leaned forward in her chair, allowing her eyes to lock onto Percy's. She intertwined her fingers together as she spoke in a low tone. "Have you ever heard the expression 'People Die If They Are Killed' by any chance? But normally gods are thought of the exception to that rule right?" Chaos narrowed her eyes. "And yet earlier I didn't misspeak when I said that many of the 'supreme beings' that fought their war were killed. The reason why they died and didn't fade is simple. Because they're not of this dimension naturally, they cannot maintain their consciousness should their essence be damaged. In order to reach the Realm of the Faded, gods must consciously will themselves to fade. Because my creations are of this dimension, they retain a form of sentience even after their essence has been damaged. This is not the same for those who are of the other dimensions."
Silence fell on the room as Chaos leaned back in her chair. She moved her hand through her hair and pushed a few strands away from her face. The primordial's twinkling eyes were staring intently at the man opposite of her. She waited for his response patiently as the gears no doubt turned in his head. Chaos brought the glass of water to her lips and took a long draft. Moving forward she refilled her drink and set the pitcher back on the table gently.
"So the gods who were released from the Realm of the Faded chose to go there?" Percy asked slowly. His face was uncertain as he looked at Chaos for confirmation. "Not only that but if they were to be killed before they could make themselves fade, then their essence would never reform? That would be it? They'd be gone for good?"
Chaos nodded in affirmation. "That would be it. Gone from this dimension forever. That makes most of those gods a lot easier to deal with now that you know they won't reform eventually right? I hope this has given you some incentive to continue even when the odds seem impossibly stacked against you. Then again, I hardly see the need to tell you something like that. You've set some impressive precedent with regards to fighting for what you believe in. That's why I went to the trouble of telling you all of this. Well, perhaps my intentions weren't completely magnanimous gesture."
Percy gave the glittering-eyed deity a wary squint. "How do you mean? Wait, no, let me guess. You have a favor to ask me, right? Or rather, you have a task for me that's non-negotiable even though it's vaguely disguised as a favor. Of course, you'll try to throw in something for me so that it paints you in a benevolent light where I wouldn't get suspicious of your true motives. As if being used by Angra Mainyu wasn't enough, now I get to help the mighty Creator. My life is just full of wonderful beings who seek nothing more than to further my well-being!"
With a bright smile, Chaos nodded her head vigorously. "Exactly right! Congratulations on being able to see through an apparent altruistic offer with deeper subtleties that may not play out to your benefit! Truly you've come so far in such a small amount of time." Clapping her hands together, the goddess dropped her giddy persona. "I've called you an Anti-God already, don't make me regret doing so. Kill Spenta Mainyu. You already know to do this. His plans threaten your world, and I like the balance that it's struck as of right now. But, before you kill him, I need you to do something else."
"And what would that be?" The son of Poseidon asked wearily, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
Chaos' face was impassive as she spoke. "Kill Angra Mainyu."
Percy's face dropped as he glared at the Primordial of Creation. "Bullshit. I can't do something so ludicrous."
"You think too little of yourself then," Chaos responded without emotion.
"Fuck you. He's an asshole sure, but he also helped me get stronger to protect my friends and family. I won't betray him," Percy said heatedly, his voice rising with each passing moment. He felt his mind race at the implications of what Chaos wanted him to accomplish. There would be no way for him to kill a deity the likes of Ahriman. It would be practically improbable. Then again, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he would have needed to achieve something equally as difficult. Killing Spenta Mainyu probably would have been on par with killing Angra Mainyu, and yet that had been his intention since he was trained his Purgatory. Then again, he'd expected to be helped by the God of Evil and his new friends as well. If he tried to kill Ahriman, he'd likely be alone in his venture. If that were the case, odds were not in his favor for victory against such a powerful god.
"Your sense of loyalty never ceases to amaze me," Chaos responded nonchalantly, ignoring Percy's expletives directed her way. "Yet as you said, this is non-negotiable. And once again as you said, I have something to sweeten the deal. Unfortunately, it also acts as the final nail in the coffin."
Without further explanation, Chaos snapped her fingers. The air rippled to Percy's left, and when he looked he nearly fell out of his chair. Thirty figures stood rigidly in a neat row, hands pressed against their sides, legs straight and unbending. Their eyes were all closed, though the gentle rise and fall of their chests calmed Percy's nerves a bit. The son of Poseidon felt his body tremble as he gazed upon the faces of friends and comrades that he had lost in the past. Those who he had failed to protect, who deserved to have a second chance at life if ever they were to be given one.
"Phoebe of Megara, Lee Fletcher, Zoë Nightshade, Michael Yew, Castor Fields, Luke Castellan, Bianca di Angelo, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Kinzie of the Amazons, and a menagerie of campers and hunters to boot," Chaos listed off casually as she stared at the bodies that stood like stones. "Of course, I made sure to bring back those closest to you in some way. Imagine, returning to the Greco/Roman world lauded as a hero for bringing back so many friends and family members."
Percy stood up, his legs shaky as he stumbled forward, staring at the sight before him. "What's the catch?" Percy muttered, afraid to know the answer.
"I'm glad you asked. Agree to help me and I will bring them all back. I had to plead for quite some time with my mother so that she would turn a blind eye to me interfering so much. But in the end, she saw that this was worth breaking a few laws. Having you on our side, oh yes, very much so," Chaos said with a smile. "Oh, don't worry by the way. This was completely consensual on their parts as well. None would have looming regrets over being resurrected. On the other hand, the catch is, if you refuse to kill Ahriman, I'll scatter their essence to the wind, destroying them completely. They will find no peace in any afterlife, only oblivion, and it will have been completely your fault for refusing me."
The son of Poseidon clenched his hands and tightened his jaw. His teeth ground against one another painfully in his mouth as he attempted to control the surge of anger that coursed through him. "You fucking bitch."
Chaos laughed loudly at Percy's declaration. "You wound me, Percy! Did you really believe me to be one who would allow the chips to fall where they may? Did you think I wouldn't stack the deck in my favor? Don't be so naïve, my little Anti-God. No, I didn't tell them what would happen to them if you were to refuse. In fact, they thought that I would just resurrect them on the spot. Alas, they didn't read the fine print of dealing with deities."
"You expect me to kill Angra Mainyu?" Percy asked, his voice defeated once he realized that he had no choice in the matter. Whether he thought it foolish or not, his hands were tied now that Chaos had revealed her hand. "I've tried that before, didn't work out the way I'd hoped."
"True, but now you know that he heals himself through curses. You don't have anything to combat those at the moment, but I'm sure that you'll find something to help with that problem. After all, you have friends who know a thing or two about crafting incredible weapons from all sorts of materials. But if you really need a bigger hint, a blessing is always a good start when countering a curse," Chaos offered, her voice filled with content.
Percy moved his eyes away from the line of bodies, and back to the Primordial of Creation. "Killing him would be catastrophic for humanity."
Chaos nodded her head seriously. "The curse of All the World's Evils. This is why I dislike those other 'supreme gods'. Believing that they can do what they will without consequence." She sighed distastefully as her face soured. "Let me deal with the fallout of that curse. You focus on killing Angra Mainyu. He's been allowed far too much freedom to do as he pleases. I won't have it any longer."
With that said, Chaos leaned back in her chair allowing a coquettish expression to settle onto her face. "Do we have an accord, Anti-God?"
A tense silence settled over the room. Percy's eyes flitted between his fallen comrades and the Primordial of Creation, who held a self-satisfied air about her. He bit his lip as he thought about the offer. A minute later he came to a decision.
"No."
Arching her eyebrow, the dark-haired primordial let her features drop into a scowl. "No? You dare to refuse my generous offer?" She growled, the air around her shimmering as her anger affected reality itself.
Percy turned to face the indignant goddess with a stony visage. "I'll kill Angra Mainyu if it guarantees their safety," The former demigod said, motioning toward the listless bodies. "But I don't want them resurrected. They all deserved Elysium for their deeds, and I don't have any right taking away their well-earned rest. So wherever you took them from, I want you to send them back. Let them sit this one out so that the living can take care of this mess."
Chaos' eye twitched when she heard Percy's decision. Her lip curled up and she sneered at the son of Poseidon. "If that's what you want then very well. I'll erase their memory of ever meeting me and allow them to remain in their respective afterlives. Be warned though, I still have the authority to destroy them should I find you attempting to forsake our little entente."
The twinkling-eyed diety flicked her wrist dismissively, and the row of bodies disappeared from view. Percy nodded his head and took his seat once again. "Is there anything else you wanted?" Percy asked. "Would you like me to kill the Hindu Trimurti while I'm at it? Or maybe you'd prefer I destroy all the gods not of your creation in one go? Does that sound good to you?"
Chaos took note of the sarcasm and simply shrugged. "If you want to, go ahead. I have little interest in the others. As long as their goals do not seek to destroy the balance as it has been set then I care not what those gods do." She stood up and looked to her parents. "Mother, father, thank you for the audience with Percy. I believe it's about time that I took him back to where he truly belongs, though."
Chronos and Ananke nodded in confirmation. Both looked slightly disgruntled, but neither said anything else as Chaos motioned Percy to follow her out the door.
Percy and Chaos stepped out of the throne room and back into the grand hallway. The son of Poseidon felt his head spinning as he sorted through the revelations that had taken place throughout the day. Too many things had changed for his taste. First the relationship problems with Scáthach and then what all had happened with Chaos. Now he was stuck with killing Angra Mainyu, the God of Evil. He doubted his day could get any worse than it was, but knowing his terrible luck something else would come along and ruin it to the point of no salvation.
"Well, that was a productive conversation!" Chaos chirped. "I'll give you a bit more information and whatnot regarding Ahriman at a later date. My mother has granted me very limited interaction with you. I probably won't visit in person very much, but you can expect some form of correspondence soon enough. Just remember, I want the God of Evil dead before his brother."
Percy didn't respond right away, instead opting to stare straight ahead, gathering his thoughts. Chaos looked at him oddly, before waving her hand in front of his face. Percy blinked himself out of the small stupor and turned to see the primordial shaking her head.
"I heard you well enough," Percy said. His shoulders sagged. "What now?"
"Now I take you back. You have a plane to catch in a few days back to the United States," Chaos responded, waving a pair of boarding passes in front of the young man's face. "Your benefactor will be busy in Persia for a while longer, but I'm almost positive that he would like for you to make contact with the Greeks and Romans once again. Soon, a consolidation of forces will be taking place across the supernatural world. Undoubtedly he'll want to join up with the Five Great Pantheons."
Percy took the boarding passes from the goddess and looked at them. Folding them a couple of times he slid the papers into his pocket. "Those were for Edinburgh Airport. How-"
"-I took the liberty to send you two a car so that you can drive yourselves down to Edinburgh. Road trips are just the best way to get to know your significant other, right?" Chaos asked coyly.
Just as Percy opened his mouth to respond, Chaos placed her hand on his shoulder and he felt the distinctive feeling of being teleported. He felt his feet land on something solid, allowing himself a window to gain his bearings before he keeled over. Thankfully, the feeling was nowhere near as horrendous as it had been when they had teleported to the center of the universe. Percy opened his eyes and saw Scáthach peering at him with worried eyes. She walked up to him, stopping a few feet away. The waves sounded as they crashed against the backdrop of Broadford Bay.
"Percy?" Scáthach's voice helped ground him as he shook his nausea from his system.
Giving his friend an apologetic smile, the young man looked out at the setting sun. "We've got a lot of work to do, Scáthach. I'll tell you about it as we go."
The witch gave Percy a skeptical glance. "Go? Where are we going?"
Pulling the two passes from his pocket, Percy flashed them to his companion. "We're going back to the States. I'm going home."
End Chapter A/N: There we go. The meeting with Chaos, who is a bit of a bitch, and Percy is finally going to meet with his old companions once more. In addition, he's been given a whole new task, which seems impossible for him. Just a warning, the next chapter might take longer to get out, since people are calling in sick to my work like crazy, and I'm getting called to fill in for those guys. Considering that I'm a poor student, I kinda need that extra money. Either way, the next chapter will probably come out in two weeks, but with mid-terms also approaching, I've gotta hunker down and brace for the coming storm. Thank you for understanding in advance.