Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Perseus and the Monster Force
Chapter 21: Explanations
Alaska – near the home of Alceonyus
Lupa and Raven sat cross-legged on the ice. Raven told the Mother of Rome all about her son and his family. Lupa was impressed with her child and the need to see him was almost overwhelming for her.
"He yearns to see you," Raven said. He could feel how much the goddess wanted to see the boy.
Lupa frowned. "The pack won't understand," she replied.
Raven nodded. "The wild is hard to tame and even harder to make understand what's important or vital to its survival."
"It's good to see you again old friend."
Raven grinned. "It is good to see you. I wish it was under better circumstances."
Lupa's expression changed; it was more contemplative and serious. "Would Eagle really fight against you?"
Raven's expression darkened. "I wish I knew for sure. Kronos or Saturn can be rather convincing, especially when the person or deity has a bone to pick with the Olympians." Raven tried to mask his worry, but Lupa could still feel it.
"I know that you and your brothers don't like the state of the wild. So much of it has been destroyed and so many creatures lost for all time." Raven nodded. "The Olympians have done nothing to help that." Lupa looked sad about that.
"Pan or Faunus was a good friend of mine, but his fading has led to our current state, but I will never join Saturn. He cannot be trusted. My brothers don't want to listen to reason. They are out for vengeance, but that will only lead to their own destruction." Raven knew what he just said was true, but he hoped that Eagle would see reason.
Lupa frowned at the thought. "I'm sorry it's come to this, brother against brother now."
"I pray to the Great Spirit that Eagle will change his mind, but my older brother was always better at that sort of thing than I."
Lupa smiled at her friend. "Don't cut yourself short. You are stronger than Coyote; you care for others more than yourself. That's why you and Faunus were such good friends."
"Coyote is powerful. He and I have always been at odds, but never to this extent. I'm afraid what he will do in his current state." Raven's black eyes darkened even more.
Lupa stood. "I will go to Camp Jupiter. I can explain the situation, but I cannot promise anything. The level of animosity and distrust remains between Roman and Greek. It will not be thrown away so easily."
Raven wore a grim expression. "A child of Rome and Greece could make all the difference."
Lupa wore a wary expression. "Perseus… you cannot throw him into the middle of this."
"He's already in the middle of this. He thinks of others before himself. You said that was something to be admired. He can be the bridge between Rome and Greece. He can unite them all in this time of desperation."
Lupa shook her head, but she knew her friend was correct. "I don't want to see him hurt."
Raven smiled. "You haven't even seen him in twelve years, but I can see that you're a protective mother. I admire that, but the Fates have a destiny set aside for Perseus. Who are we to stand in the way of that?"
Lupa hated it when her friend was right and she was wrong. "I will do what I can to help, that's all I can promise."
Raven grinned happily. "That's all I can ask for."
"Perseus's family, will they look out for him?" she asked.
Raven nodded. "They will protect him with their lives."
Lupa smiled at the answer. Her white fang's shined in the light. "I must be off. The pack and I have a long run ahead of us."
"May the Great Spirit be with you." Raven said.
Lupa nodded before she began to glow and turned into the dark brown wolf. She gave a short bark before running off toward her pack.
Raven watched her run. He marveled at the goddess's beauty in her wolf form. He looked back at the icy fortress and visibly shivered. The place felt evil. He gave a loud caw before he burst into a puff of feathers and flew away in his bird form. He flew toward the southeast; he needed to keep an eye on Percy.
Near the base of Mount Tamalpais…
A ten year old boy walked through the forest toward the base of the mountain. The boy had golden brown hair and warm brown eyes. The sound of a coyote howling drew his attention. The boy stopped and waited. The coyote stepped out of the woods only a few yards away. The coyote looked at the boy with its yellow eyes. The coyote began to glow until a twelve year old boy with white hair and yellow eyes stood in its place.
"Hello brother," Coyote said.
Eagle glared at his brother. "Fighting against the Olympians is one thing, but fighting children is another."
"Children… they are the spawn of the Olympians," Coyote scoffed. He gave his brother a disbelieving look. "That Perseus is an abomination. I will not let him thwart our plans."
Eagle shook his head vigorously. "Your plans, not mine."
Coyote eyed his brother angrily. "What do you mean?"
"I'm done; I will not help you anymore."
Coyote stepped toward his brother threateningly. "If you're not with us then you're against us." Coyote sent a wave of dark energy toward his brother. Eagle intercepted his brother's attack easily with one hand.
"I know your tricks and your powers, brother." Eagle began to glow until he turned into a golden eagle. The eagle flew off into the air as Coyote glared at the bird.
"Good riddance. I don't need you," Coyote yelled after his brother. He looked at the top of Mount Tamalpais. "My allies and I will destroy Olympus and humanity. They will suffer for what they have done to the wild." His body dissolved into a black liquid before it shifted and molded itself until a grey Coyote stood in the middle of the forest. The creature howled into the sky before running off toward the mountain.
On the outskirts of Chicago…
Percy and the others had walked for several hours and the skyline of Chicago was visible against the horizon.
Percy stopped walking. Phelan stopped beside his young master. "We cannot accompany you and the others into the city," Phelan proclaimed.
Percy nodded reluctantly. "I know," he replied. Phelan placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Percy gave his guardian a determined look. "We'll be fine, don't worry."
Phelan's red eyes glowed. "You have made me proud," Phelan stepped away from his young master to join the rest of the family. "Good luck to all of you. Master, I will let your father know of your condition. We will see you again in the west." Phelan and the others ran off into the wilderness.
Zoe watched them go before she turned back to the hunt. "We will rest here for an hour, and then finish the trip into the city," she said.
Thalia stepped toward her. "You're coming with us?" she asked.
"Lady Artemis and the rest of the hunt are on the trail of the thieves as well. Although you have a quest we will make sure to help you," Zoe replied.
"The gods cannot interfere in a quest," Annabeth said.
Zoe smiled. "The hunters are not gods; we can act outside of the ancient laws," she explained.
Percy chuckled. Zoe glared at the boy. "Great, now I'll have to look out for six others," Percy said sarcastically.
"Hunters don't need protection, especially from a boy," Zoe growled.
Percy lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Just kidding Zoe," he said.
Zoe's glare didn't soften. "No time for your stupid games boy," she said harshly.
Percy sat down on a rock and watched as the others sat down in the shade. Annabeth and Thalia sat next to Percy. Zoe glared at Thalia for sitting next to the boy. Percy looked at Zoe before shaking his head. "I don't get her. She's been nothing but mean to me, but then she helped me when I was the wolf."
Thalia chuckled. "Zoe hates… all boys, not… just you," Thalia replied as she tried unsuccessfully to stop from laughing harder.
Percy rolled his eyes at the daughter of Zeus. "I figured that much out myself, so why would she help me?"
Annabeth smiled. "Maybe she felt sorry for the wolf," she suggested. Thalia nodded.
"I'm the wolf," Percy said. Annabeth and Thalia both grinned at the exacerbated look on his face.
"Speaking of questions," Annabeth said. She looked between Percy and Thalia. "Why did you give Thalia the lion's pelt?"
"She shot it; it was her kill," Percy said, but the two girls could tell that there was much more to it.
"I couldn't have killed it without you Percy. What's the real reason?" Thalia asked.
Percy sighed. He knew it was hopeless to argue with these two stubborn demigods. "I don't like to kill these creatures," he said.
Thalia and Annabeth looked at him in shock. "They're monsters; they kill people," Thalia said.
Percy ran his hand through his hair. "I know, but I can talk to them. I can hear their internal voices when they die," he said. The two girls could see the sadness in his eyes. "I don't want to be reminded of that."
"You can talk to monsters?" Annabeth asked.
Percy nodded. "I didn't know why for a long time, but I know now. It has to do with the combination of my father's and mother's powers," he said.
"Hold on, I thought you didn't know who your mother was?" Annabeth questioned.
Percy nodded. "I didn't, but the other night Hestia appeared to me when I was by the fire all alone," he said. Thalia and Annabeth listened carefully to the story. "She confirmed that I was a son of Poseidon, but then she told me about the Roman gods."
"Roman gods," Thalia repeated.
"He means Jupiter and the others," Annabeth said.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "I know that Brain," she said. That earned a glare from the daughter of Athena.
Percy raised his hands as the two girls continued to glare at each other. "Are you two done killing each other with your eyes?" Percy asked sarcastically.
"Shut-up Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. Percy's eyes grew big at the name.
"Yeah, shut-up Dog Breath," Thalia said.
Percy cupped his hand in front of his face and breathed out as he tried to smell his own breath. The two girls grinned mischievously at him. "My breath doesn't smell bad."
"Are you going to finish your story?" Annabeth asked impatiently.
Percy crossed his arms in front of his chest before he shot a glare at the two demigods. "Hestia said that the Roman gods are real and that the Roman gods are another aspect of the Greek gods."
"So, the gods have split personalities?" Thalia asked.
Percy smiled, but Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's what I asked?" Thalia's cheeks turned pink when she heard that.
Annabeth chuckled. "It's not split personalities. The gods have two aspects. The more laid back versions would be Greek, while the more warlike and serious would be Roman," Annabeth explained.
"In other words they have two personalities," Percy said.
"No, they have two separate personas with different appearances as well," Annabeth tried to clarify, but the blank expressions on Thalia's and Percy's faces showed that they didn't understand. Annabeth sighed in defeat. "They have split personalities."
Thalia and Percy both grinned in triumph. Annabeth glared at the two until their grins faded. "Percy, please continue," Thalia said as she gestured toward the son of Daedalus.
Percy smiled. "She said that my mother was Roman," he said.
Thalia and Annabeth just stared at him in shock. "Which Roman god is she?" Annabeth questioned.
Percy looked around. Zoe and the other hunters were talking adamantly about some story about an ancient hunt. "My mom is Lupa, goddess of wolves and mother of Rome," he said.
AN: Another chapter complete. Annabeth and Thalia now know who Percy's mother is. They also know about Roman gods. Will Percy explain about Raven? Please wait and see as the story continues.