Disclaimer: Yeah, I got nothing.
Chapter 13: A Choice is Made
Two pairs of footsteps could be heard down the empty roads of Olympus as Percy made his way to the throne room. His breath froze in the frigid air atop the city of the gods, and he crossed his arms to protect them from the chill of winter. He made a note to speak with his uncle about enchanting his armor when temperatures climaxed.
Zoë on the other hand was walking by his side, a small smile on her face at the sight of her love almost freezing solid. She had nothing but her usual white chiton and sandals, and if she was affected by the bitter cold, she didn't show it.
Percy scowled at her once he caught sight of her face, "What's so funny?"
She shook her head, "Oh nothing. Just surprised the mighty Hound of War is being laid low by a bit of cold weather."
His scowl deepened as her smile grew, "I'm sorry I wasn't born a demititan superhuman who can resist any manner of harsh conditions…how the Hades are you not freezing?"
She shrugged, "I lived at the top of a mountain for most of my life. This is nothing in comparison. Not much at least."
Percy grumbled something under his breath, causing her to laugh before she developed a somber expression. He followed her eyes until he caught sight of the golden doors to the throne room.
"Are you sure about this? We can figure something else out…" The worry in her voice warmed him a bit, and he began wondering if there really was another option.
'No, this is the only option now.' He growled at the thought, unsure of whether it was Athena or his own conscious that it had come from. Regardless, it was right.
"I'm sorry Zoë, but this is the best chance we have. The armies of Greece will sail to Troy in a year's time, and I have to be ready for whatever the Fates have in store for me."
The former Hesperide tensed before whirling around to face him, "But what if you're not ready? What if something happens when I'm not around? What if…"
"Stop."
She stopped talking, but Percy could still see the flood of worry and anger welling through her, and that spoke enough. Without any words he pulled her into a hug, her small lithe form fitting almost perfectly into the grooves of his armor. She resisted for a minute, pushing against him and struggling a bit before sighing and giving in to his machinations. Both stood silently for a bit, ignoring the bitter wind and the words and whispers of the few dryads roaming the streets as they warmed and comforted each other.
After a moment, Percy pulled back and let out a loud laugh as she began shivering from the sudden loss of heat. She scowled at him but did nothing but blush as he kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I'll be okay Zoë. If I can survive this meeting unscathed, then surviving the war should be nothing."
She scowled before yanking him down to her and pulling him into another kiss. Just as he closed his eyes and prepared to deepen it, she was gone, and all he could do was smile at the cold left on his lips before shaking his head and entering the throne room.
Ω (New line break. Getting tired of just saying line break.)
Ares sat in his throne, rapping his fingers impatiently against the cool stone as he waited for the meeting to progress from the usual 'Mother Rhea loves me more' and 'Ares destroyed the Parthenon' chatter to the real reason they had gathered this night. While he was eager for the battles to begin and to feel the weight of his blades crashing against an enemy's shield, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at the thought of the coming war.
'Ares.'
He turned his head slightly, allowing him to see Hestia at the hearth. He raised his head in both question and greeting, only for her to motion towards the doors, where the figure of his son appeared, much to his joy.
The god of War gave the same greeting to him as he had with Hestia and smiled as the gesture was returned. Noticing the conversations were continuing, he cleared his throat, much to Zeus and Athena's chagrin. They glared at him until seeing Percy kneeling in the center of the room, waiting for them to speak to him.
Clearing his throat, Zeus began commanding the rest of the gods to be silent until the only thing to be heard was the occasional stokes of the fire from its tender. Turning now to face the demigod before him, he spoke again.
"Rise Hound of War. We need to talk."
Percy did as he was told, rising to his feet as the hearth burned brightly behind him, casting his shadow across the twelve thrones as he replied in kind.
"Thank you my lord. What is it you require?"
Ares spoke this time, a smile growing on his face as he saw his father's face glow red with rage at being interrupted yet again.
"You know why you are here, my son. The time has come for you to choose your role in this war, your place in history when this day is remembered."
He leaned closer to his son, watching his face for any fear or nervousness that a lesser warrior or a liar would have in the face of the god of War. He was pleased when he saw none.
"What is your choice Perseus? Who will you join in this war?"
The answer he received was not the one he had expected.
"I'm not."
At the council's looks of confusion, he continued, "I'm not joining this war. I refuse to fight against Sparta or my father. I choose neutrality."
Turning to his silent father, Percy wasn't sure what he expected. Whatever it was, he certainly hadn't expected him to embrace him.
"Father?"
Ares pulled back, holding him at arm's length as he smiled. "You sound surprised. Did you think I found joy in the thought of fighting my son? No, while I loathe missing the chance for you to fight by my side, I would rather have this than facing you in battle."
The look of joy and relief on his father's face at his news was like a rusty dagger to the heart. Right then and there he almost broke down and told him the truth. But a steely look from Athena, as well as his conscious telling him this was the right choice, stayed his tongue as the council was soon dismissed and his father departed shortly after.
'I'm sorry.'
Ω
The cool breeze coming off the sea caressed Percy's face as he made his way down the shoreline. While it was indeed a rather nice day to be enjoying the sea, the Hound of War was here for one thing and one thing only.
He needed to speak with the Myrmidons.
Of course, walking through their gates without proper invitation was just asking for trouble.
"Name."
Percy had to resist throttling the small, frail man that barred his entrance into the city, and therefore, the person he was looking for. Giving another deep breath, he turned to the man once more and sighed out his answer.
"My name is Perseus, son of Angelos, I am here on military business, and for the last time, no, I do not want to make a donation to your shrine of Athena!" Breathing heavily again, he looked at the forgetful old man once more, "Well?"
"Name."
That's it.
Just as he was reaching for the small man's scrawny little neck, a warm hand found its way onto his shoulder, instantly filling him with a peace and calm he hadn't felt in days. Sighing as he released the frightened man, he turned, only to be met by a powerful slap to the face from the short, but rather angry, hearth goddess.
He didn't bother trying to argue his case to her. He merely stepped aside and allowed her to do the talking, to which she sent him a warm smile. In less than five minutes the pair had passed through the gates and were currently walking through the streets towards the Hound of War's destination.
"I'm sorry."
If Hestia heard him she didn't bother to respond as they made their way to the Myrmidon's camp. Not until they were at the door.
"I do not like this Perseus."
He looked down into the goddess's eyes, sighing as he saw the same worry and doubt in her face as he did with Zoë. It was the whole reason he had decided to make this journey without her. She needed her space to deal with what was to come, and he needed to finish the final parts of Athena's plan.
"And you believe I do?"
"No, but lying to your father? Regardless of how grand my niece's plan may be, we both know you will be forced to fight him in the end, Now matter how well your disguise hides you."
"What would you have me do Lady Hestia?" He didn't shirk from her gaze as he continued, "Would you have me abandon Sparta? Just like my father did?"
She kept his gaze for another moment before breaking contact and sighing, straightening out her plain dress as was her habit as she continued.
"Just promise me you will not lose sight of whom and what you are, my champion. War can change a man far more than anything else on this earth. I would know," she caught his eyes, and for a mere second, Percy could see the fear in her, for him and Greece. "I have seen them all."
Without any further comment she disappeared in a column of fire, leaving the Spartan wondering just what he had gotten himself involved in before the gate to the camp opened, allowing him entrance to the man he sought.
As was to be expected, Percy received quite a few looks from the Myrmidons, most less than friendly. No one caused any problems however, so the Hound of war was able to make it to the sparring pit without any delay.
At least until he reached the soldier standing in his way.
"Who are you boy? I don't remember letting you in here. And no one enters without paying the toll."
Percy resisted the urge to vomit at the scent and sight of the man before him. The fat cur was obese, with rolls of the smelly flesh poking out of his two sizes too small armor, and had a collection of the most gruesome and rotten teeth the Hound of War had ever seen. His breath… It was as if some horrible monster had found its way into his mouth, given birth to a litter of offspring, and promptly died on the spot.
Shaking his head to clear his senses of the man's foul odor, Percy replied as he struggled not to lose his composure. "I don't believe I answer to you. I have business with your commander, so if you don't mind, I must be going."
He tried to move around the man, but the smelly creature was having none of it as he stepped in his way, drawing the attention of the other soldiers as he resumed speaking.
"Oh no you don't. No one gets past Gorgos the Mighty without paying." He flexed his arms, smiling as if the lumps of fat hanging off his arms were an impressive display.
Percy had to cover his mouth at the horrible sight to avoid losing his lunch."Gorgos the Mighty? That's just stupid." He pretended to think for a moment before smiling. "How about…Smelly Gabe?"
The newly named Smelly Gabe turned bright red, both at his newest title as well as the sight of all the soldiers laughing at him and telling him to embrace it.
"That's it punk, you're dead!"
He charged the Hound of War, all five hundred pounds of flesh jiggling as he raised his fists in a pathetic attempt to beat the Spartan in a round of fisticuffs, only for him double over in pain as Percy sent a sharp jab into his stomach. He rose up only to be met with another fist, this time in his jaw. The bone broke with a loud crack that shook him before he took another blow to the stomach, sending him to the ground with a massive thud, completely unconscious.
Every Myrmidon soldier began looking between the Hound of War, their now snoring comrade, and themselves before settling their gaze on him. Percy knew exactly what was going on as soon as they began drawing their various weapons and only had a single thought.
'That's one down. Two hundred to go.'
Ω
Achilles wasn't sure whether to be insulted or impressed.
Every single one of his men were currently residing on the ground, some completely unconscious and unmoving, while others moaned quietly from the many non-lethal cuts they had sustained upon their arms and legs at the hands of whom he assumed to be challenger.
Said man was covered with dirt, sweat, and what he also assumed to be the blood of his soldiers as he stood silently, wiping off his bronze blade in the grass before facing him. At the sight of Achilles, the man casually walked over and sheathed his sword before extending a hand.
"You must be Achilles. We need to talk."
The son of Thetis gave him a once over before speaking.
"Spartan?"
The man nodded.
"Demigod?"
Another nod.
"They attacked you first?"
A final nod. "The fat one."
Achilles cracked a smile as he gripped the other warrior's hand. "A pleasure to meet you…"
"Perseus, and I need your help."
A/N: Ok, I'll just say it up front: I'm sorry.
I know that's probably the sorriest thing to say (no pun intended), but seriously, I am terribly sorry. Between my grades (still rather depressing), before Christmas Chaos, after Christmas Chaos, and the worst case of writer's block in the history of mankind, it's been horribly difficult to even consider writing.
But here I am. I'll try to update when I can, and that's all I can do. Hopefully you can forgive and forget and continue to read as you have before. If not, I hope you can find a better writer who can update quicker and write better.
Like I said before, I'm sorry and hope you don't hate me.
Wishing you a Merry (VERY LATE) Christmas and a (slightly late) Happy New Year,
kingofsecrets15
P.S: I couldn't resist putting in the fat monster known and hated by all PJO fans. Hopefully him getting the crap beat out of him made some of you smile. And before I forget, the poll results were (based on the last time I checked) 13 for Percy aiding the Spartans and a surprising 2 to join Ares (I didn't think anyone would go for that at all.)
As for those who didn't vote directly in the poll itself, I still counted your votes and opinions. The numbers are merely there to show the percentage of those who DID officially vote.