Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Perseus and the Monster Force
Chapter 43: Uncle Perce
Hera's POV
Mount Olympus – throne room
Zeus sat on his throne; I sat beside him. I sent a glare toward my husband, it was his fault that they were so behind in preparations for a war that I knew we were bound to lose without the assistance of the demigods and the immortal son of Poseidon.
The doors to the throne room opened before Athena and Artemis entered; the two goddesses were quiet, but I could tell that they had just come from a long discussion, most likely about the quest.
"My dears," Zeus said with a smile. I rolled my eyes; the two goddesses had my husband wrapped around their fingers. Daddy's girls for sure. "How goes the quest?" I nodded; it was about time that he gave his attention to the important matters, like not getting sent to Tartarus by our terrible father.
Artemis and Athena both bowed before they took their seats on their thrones. I would never admit this, but the two goddesses were my favorite step-children.
"I just came back from the first leg of the quest, Alcyoneus and Iapetus were defeated, the helm of darkness was just returned to Lord Hades," Artemis informed. I smirked. I bet my little brother was happy about that; he got his weapon back before Zeus got his.
Zeus nodded, but his mouth was set in a frown, but I could tell it was more of a pout; he didn't get his weapon back first. "Any news about my bolt?" I sighed quietly. The man had a one track mind, always about the damn bolt.
Artemis shook her head. "I watched them leave on a boat toward Hawaii, the weapon must be there."
"I haven't spoken to my daughter in a while, but I could try to find out," Athena proposed. I shook my head, that wouldn't work.
A small laugh drew my attention, and that of the others. I turned to see Hestia sitting in front of her hearth. She smiled at the attention. "I'm sorry for interrupting," she said as she made her way over to us. I smiled in return. I knew very well that my older sister wasn't sorry at all. "My son was with them." Dustin joined the quest that was new information to me.
Artemis and Athena both stared at their aunt in shock. "Son," Artemis said in disgust, while Athena just stared at her aunt in disbelief. It took everything I had to keep from laughing; their faces were priceless.
"Dustin helped them; I'm sure his help was instrumental," Zeus declared. I could tell that he was amused as well by the looks on the two goddess's faces.
Hestia smiled at my husband. "They retrieved the bolt; it is currently on the boat."
"Why wasn't it brought here?" Zeus questioned. Of course, the bolt was more important than anyone's life or the safety of the quest. "The bolt is safe, but the quest may have been in trouble, my dear," I said, I almost threw up when I said, my dear.
Zeus sighed. I guess my words eased his mind. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. "Where is Dustin now?"
"I asked him to return to his home in Honolulu," Hestia said. I could tell that my sister understood what my husband was driving at. "However, I did ask someone to help the quest."
Now I was really curious. "Who?"
"Triton, I visited him in Atlantis," Hestia began. I could see that the meeting hadn't gone well, at least at first. "He reluctantly agreed to transport the quest team to Florida; I believe he has a demigod son there."
Athena shifted in her seat. "Nelson," she said.
Zeus turned toward her curiously. "You know this demigod?"
Athena nodded. "Yes, he tried to help a son of mine many years ago," she said her grey eyes darkening. We all looked at her curiously now. "It didn't work out."
"So, what can you tell us about this son of Triton?" Hestia questioned. It was unusual for her to be involved, but I could tell that she knew more than she was letting on.
"He must be in his thirties by now," Athena said. Now that was a revelation, not many demigods reached that age. "I do know that a distant relative of his was Edward Teach, the son of Ares."
"Blackbeard," Artemis said.
Athena nodded. "The same, he runs a charter boat out of Miami, that's all that I know."
Hestia nodded. She smiled at my step-daughter. "Maybe, Triton could bring your bolt here."
"A son of Poseidon bring my weapon here?" Zeus asked in disbelief. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Perseus is the one leading the quest. Why not allow Triton to bring your weapon here?" I replied reasonably.
"Father, that is a good idea, the symbolism alone would go a long way in bringing better relations between Atlantis and Olympus," Athena reasoned.
Zeus stroked his beard for a moment. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. I held in my laughter at the thought. Athena gave me an amused smile; she was thinking the same thing. "I suppose it would be a good diplomatic decision," Zeus agreed. He waved his hand in the air before a small cloud formed; he fired a small lightning bolt into the cloud before a flash of light erupted throughout the throne room, a rainbow formed out of the small cloud. Zeus tossed in a coin before he requested Iris to show him Triton, the prince of the seas. A window appeared in the cloud showing the interior of a small cabin on a boat. Triton stood in his golden armor with a fourteen year old boy at his side. My eyes widened when I realized that this was the immortal child of Poseidon, Perseus.
"Triton," Zeus said.
Triton turned with a surprised expression on his face. "Lord Zeus," Triton bowed slightly.
Perseus's green eyes grew bigger than his half-brother's. He bowed quickly. "My lord," Perseus said.
Zeus turned to look at the boy. "And you are?"
Perseus looked up, his sea green eyes glowed. "I am Perseus Jackson, son of Daedalus," he said. I noticed Triton frown when Perseus said he was the son of the inventor.
"Ah, Perseus, it is about time that we met. I must thank you for retrieving both the helm and my bolt," Zeus said. I found it unusual that he thanked someone, especially a son of his brother, but I guess he's learned a little about diplomacy over the past several thousand years of screwing things up.
"You're welcome, sir," Perseus said. The boy was more formal than I thought he would be; I guess Daedalus taught him something after all.
Zeus gave a short nod at the boy's reaction before he turned toward Triton. "Triton, once you've finished your work with Perseus and his… friends, please bring my bolt to Olympus."
Triton bowed slightly once again. "It would be my privilege," he said. Zeus smiled at his nephew's obedience. "Very good, I await your arrival," Zeus said before he swiped his hand through the message.
"A polite boy for a son of Poseidon," I said.
Zeus nodded. "Yes, and Triton seemed in a good mood today" Zeus added. Hestia walked back toward the hearth. "Hestia" The goddess turned toward my husband. "Thank you for all your help, please extend my gratitude toward your son."
Hestia's eyes shined at the praise. "I only did what was right," she said before she sat down beside the hearth.
"What about the quest?" Artemis asked. "Do we trust this Nelson Teach to guide them through the Sea of Monsters?"
Athena rolled her eyes at her sister's distrust of the male. "He will help them; besides, Perseus is his uncle, Nelson would never turn down a request from his father, neither would he turn down a member of his family in need." I could tell she wanted to say more, but I knew about her history with Triton, it wouldn't be a good idea to bring it up now.
Zeus nodded in agreement. "Yes my dear, listen to your sister," he said. Artemis's eyes flashed with annoyance, but she was smart enough not to say anything.
"Yes father," Artemis replied before she flashed out of the throne room. Zeus watched her go before he stood up. "I have a task to complete before Triton arrives," he said before he flashed out as well.
I stood up from my throne and walked toward the hearth. I noticed Athena stand as well, her eyes flashed in concern toward my sister. I turned to glare at my step-daughter. "You both know more than what was just discussed," I said accusingly.
Athena shook her head, but I could read her well enough. I turned toward Hestia, but the fiery look in her eyes made me hesitate. "Sister, we have sworn an oath to keep a secret, one regarding the young immortal son of our brother," Hestia admitted.
"A secret is this something that should concern me?" I asked worriedly, taken aback by her tone of voice. Hestia sighed. She looked toward Athena; my step-daughter nodded reluctantly.
Hestia took a deep breath before she went into the details of the life of Perseus Jackson. To say the revelations about this young immortal boy shocked me would be an understatement. His existence went against some of our strictest laws, but as Hestia described his life and what they knew about the war we found ourselves in, I realized that this boy might be our only salvation. I swore to keep his secret, but I also swore to myself that I would keep a closer eye on this son of Lupa and Poseidon.
Percy's POV
Percy's boat – Pacific Ocean
Once the Iris Message faded I just stared at my brother in shock; we had just spoken to the King of the gods on Olympus.
"Perseus, where is the bolt?" Triton asked.
I was still a little dizzy from standing up for the first time in a few hours since I was healed. "I don't really know; Thalia might have it," I said as I tried to think of the person most likely to keep track of the weapon.
Triton nodded. "Change your clothes and meet me upstairs. You'll need to pack a bag; I will not be able to transport the boat any further than the west coast," Triton said.
I gave him a worried look. "How will we get to the Sea of Monsters?"
"Nelson has his own boat; he will be your transport and your guide."
Triton placed his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry Perseus, we are family, Nelson will take good care of you and your friends, I promise." I nodded before Triton left the cabin to go find the rest of my team and the bolt.
I took a few minutes to change my clothes and pack a duffel bag. This trip might be long or short, it all depended upon the forces allayed against us. I left my cabin and walked into the main lounge on the boat, everyone was seated, except for Annabeth, she must have been on the bridge guiding the boat. Triton stood in the middle of the room; Jason and Thalia both gave me concerned looks. Dakota and Reyna sat in two chairs near the door. They all gave my brother wary looks.
"Hey guys," I said. Thalia rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything, good, I was still mad at her any way.
"Brother, I need to transport all of you first," Triton snapped his fingers before Annabeth appeared before us. She looked around, her grey eyes much bigger than normal.
"Don't worry Wise Girl, my brother is going to transport us to Miami," I reassured.
Annabeth nodded. "How do we get to the sea of monsters?"
Triton sighed. "My son Nelson will take you." He said in exasperation. I guess he'd answered this question several time already. "Now, everyone stand around me in a circle." My friends and I stood around my brother; we all clutched our bags protectively. A blue light filled the room before my skin began to itch. A moment later we reappeared in front of marina. The air was heavy with humidity and the temperature was really warm, my friends were already beginning to perspire.
I stepped forward as I walked toward the Marina. I could sense the presence of the son of Triton, the power of the sea pulled me toward him. I stopped in front of a sixty-five foot fishing boat; it was light blue with a white stripe along the side. The cabin was also blue with a white wave pattern along the side. The boat looked fairly old, but I could tell it was in good condition. A bell hung from a light pole on the dock. I rung the bell before a man in a greasy, navy blue t-shirt, Bermuda shorts and worn sandals climbed out of the decks below. He wiped his greasy hands on his shirt. He was a pretty impressive looking man; he was roughly six foot, eight inches in height, his skin was tanned and he biceps on top of biceps. He had a thick black beard that covered most of his lower facial features, but his fluorescent sea green eyes showed that he was a child of the sea. To most people he would have been very intimidating, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was kind and brave.
He had a few scars on his arms from past battles and a scar ran just under his left eye to below his ear, so I could tell that he was a battle worn warrior used to life as a demigod.
He stared at me for a few moments before he looked at the rest of my friends. His gaze returned to me before a huge smile stretched across his face. "Uncle Perce," he yelled before he lifted me off the ground in an agonizingly tight bear hug. I looked back at my friends; they all tried to keep straight faces at the name he gave me and the surprised and pained expression on my face.
"C-can't breathe," I wheezed before Nelson placed my feet back on the dock. "Sorry about that Unc," he replied. I took a few breaths before I gave him a reassuring smile. "Nice to meet you too, Nelson," I said slowly.
Nelson shook his head. "So much for the formalities, I'm Nelson Teach, Captain of this fine vessel, the Neptune's Gamble. Y'all can call me Nels or Cap'n, whatever suits y'all," he said. I turned toward my friends and introduced them to my… nephew, gods I have a screwed up family, I thought.
"Nice to meet y'all, now come on aboard and stow your duffels down below," Nels said. The others went down below; Jason took my bag for me.
"So Nels, did your dad tell you where we're going?" I asked.
Nels's expression darkened. "To the Sea of Monsters, yeah, he did."
"I'm sorry that you had to get drug into this mess," I said honestly.
He shook his head. "I don't get to meet many of my kin, it's good to know that I have a few," he replied with his southern drawl. He placed a strong hand on my shoulder. "So, Gramps lost his old frog gig, did he?" I laughed at the description. "Yeah," I said with snort. Nels laughed at my reply. "We're going to get on just fine Unc, now let me show you my girl," he said as he gestured toward the boat. Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.
AN: I know some people are upset with my concentration on one story at a time, but I wanted to get a few completed, so I can concentrate more on the others. Don't worry; this story will most likely have another seven to nine chapters before it is completed. Again thanks to gallantmon7196 for the character, Nelson Teach, I hope everyone enjoys him as he will be in the story for a while as they travel through the Sea of Monsters, so stay tuned more to come.
