Chapter 52 – Splitting Duties
Deciding that there had been enough commotion for one day, Percy led Artemis back to the royal chambers. They were going to spend the night in Asgard, then they would go to Chaos' realm and visit Chaos and the other allied Primordials. Percy walked into the master bedroom. A huge bed that flowed gracefully was the centerpiece that overlooked the long room. At the far end of the room, the wall broke off into a wide window that overlooked their kingdom completely. There were other items of furnishings but as it was, it appeared that as they were both war orientated Gods, that it was more combat effective pieces than books and desks. That didn't mean to say that their chambers were completely barbaric. On the far left side was a large oaken desk with a number of books and scrolls. The moment they were both inside they let out a breathe of relief.
"It feels good to be free." Percy sighed. He casually walked over to a mannequin that he pointed out, his hand only millimeters away from touching the actual statue. It morphed to form his body shape perfectly. He them proceeded to summon bits and pieces of his armor, but as it came it was clear that he still could not undo Tartarus' magic. The armor that appeared was nothing more than Chaotic platinum chains that hung around the mannequin casually. A stygian iron helmet also appeared.
"Hmm. Must speak to Chaos about that. She made them disappear but she could not restore them." He grunted casually. Quickly realizing something he spun around to Artemis. "That one there, get your hand as close to it without touching it as possible. It shall morph to your body perfectly. You can rest armor on it." He explained as he walked over. She nodded and done so. She turned back to face him.
"Well it's handy, but I'm not undressing in front of you. We aren't yet married Perseus and I'm still the God of chastity, so you, my fiancé, are going to have to wait." She said with seductive tone. She was confused when he just laughed at her attempt though.
"OK, a couple of things. Firstly, if I can outright resist Aphrodite's strongest attempt at charmspeak, then I resist yours. Second, you don't have to undress. You're a Goddess, and a Goddess Queen. You may not realize but you've got droves more power than you had before. If my armor was working I'd show you, but as it is you'll just have to try with something else until you're confident enough to do it with what you're wearing." Percy smiled brightly. She followed his words, but barely. With a snap of his fingers Artemis felt her clothes change slightly as Percy made sure that they were the perfect measurement on her body. In that moment she found herself getting hot in the cheeks with his eyes rolling over hey body. She noticed mortal clothes form underneath the Imperial gold amour that formed on top.
"OK, you've got clothes on underneath the armor, so give it a shot." He told her casually. She focused and was surprised to find that it came as naturally as flashing around. The golden armor appeared a moment later on the mannequin.
"It's simple really, just think about it and it'll happen. Just make sure you summon clothes under whatever you're planning on putting on your statue." Percy explained. With another snap of his fingers his clothes changed once more. He was wearing long thick track pants that looked warm, and a tight fitting short sleeve tee shirt. He quickly walked over to the big desk before sitting down. The desk was a new addition to the room it seemed.
"That's cheeky. Athena gave us quite a few gifts it seems. This is like a miniature library that can summon anything from the one in the palace." Percy commented casually. He was pretty happy with this actually. He turned his head slightly when he felt a pair of hands reach down and hug him from behind. He sat back and sighed.
"One day of freedom and I've got so much to do." Percy told her as he held onto her slender arms.
"Then forget it. Come on, we're both tired." She told him. He knew he couldn't argue, she truly was the driving force behind him. He noticed that she was wearing very little once again, like the time she'd teased him back in his tent.
"Yes ma'am." He told her with a renewed vigor as he quickly picked her up bridal style and lifted her over to the bed before gently putting her down. She looked at him expectantly, but knew that he wasn't going to give her what she wanted that easily.
He got into the bed next to her and held on tightly. "Percy, I'm not going anywhere." She told him reassuringly. She knew he was going to have nightmares about Tartarus. She could tell that it was going to happen for some time, and she knew that she needed to be there for him. Turning so that their faces were only inches apart she held onto him with a hand on his chest and a hand on his cheek. Their eyes locked for what seemed like and age.
"I love you Artemis." He told her, breaking the silence. She smiled at him lovingly before she rewarded him with her soft lips. Her tongued caressing the inside of his mouth ever so slightly.
"I know. I love you too Perseus." She responded once they'd stopping kissing each other. He smiled back at her before they both fell into a comfortable silence and slept for quite some time.
Line Break.
Morning came with an unusual disturbance. A strange sound woke the couple up as they looked around their room. The darkest corners of their room seemed to draw out the shadows and all mass in one place.
The shadows massed from the corner of the room and suddenly there was a new addition to them. A huge head protruded from the portal of shadows. It easily took up the entire room. The strange thing was that it was a dogs head. This must have been Hade's wedding gift. The firstborn of Cerberus.
"Hello there. What's your name I wonder?" Percy asked casually as he stood and walked over to the happy and content dog that just looked at his master in awe. If dogs could look on in awe. On the huge collar of the dog Percy noticed a small tag.
'His name is Batarius, but I like to call him Rufus. – Hades.'
"Hello Batarius." Percy said as he looked up with a smile. He noticed that there was something else in the portal. It overlooked the body and a second head. A two headed guard dog. That gave Percy a brilliant idea.
"Tell me that's not the beasts name?" Artemis sighed as she sat up, not wanting to leave the warmth of her covers, and certainly hadn't wanted to leave the comfort of Percy's body, but it seemed that he had other ideas.
"It says that Hades liked to call him Rufus. I kinda like that name more anyway. Batarius is a two headed son of Cerberus. He would be a magnificent guardian of the Hunt while we are both away." Percy told her as he looked back towards his Queen.
"You're telling them. As the Queen of Asgard I'm going back to sleep. It's only eight o clock." Artemis sighed as she retreated under the covers.
"Artemis." Percy said warningly. When he was met with no reply he knew that he'd have to take matters into his own hands.
"Rufus. I will summon you later. I promise that I'll have a treat for you as well." He said as he turned back to the two headed dog that was gargantuan in size. He was easily as big as Cerberus himself, if not bigger. He would make an excellent guard dog.
"Artemis." Percy said out loud. This time his voice was only that much sterner. She ignored him naturally.
"You leave me with little choice." He smirked mischievously.
"You better not be grinning Perseus." Artemis' voice sounded almost dangerous. Percy raised his hand lazily and the huge cover lifted into the air. "NO!" Artemis shrieked as the brisk morning air hit her. She cursed Percy in Greek.
"Oh that reminds me." Percy said quickly as he let the covers fall once more. He walked over and sat down next to the scowling Goddess.
"I'm not entirely certain, but I've got a strong feeling that you might form a third aspect." Percy told her seriously.
"How could that be?" She asked him wide eyed.
"Well you would be my Queen. The Queen of Asgard. Viking heaven. I think it would just be a natural thing that you would form an aspect that would reflect on your kingdom. I may be wrong but I think you would simply merge with your Greek aspect. Like how myself and Armageddon are. It would be different from you and Diana." Percy explained. Artemis shifted into Diana briefly as her name was mentioned before turning back again. They were the same person, they just looked different to simulate the different times. Percy expected that if this new aspect was a thing like his, then she would have one strong enough to form a secondary conscience as well.
'Did someone call me?' Armageddon asked casually from the depths of Percy's mind.
'No, but prepare yourself. We've got a long day ahead of us.' Percy responded.
"Put some clothes on Artemis. I'm going to try and split my aspects." Percy explained. She nodded and with a yawn she summoned some more suitable clothes to wear. A few moments later and Percy was tensed up and trying to split the consciousness's inside his mind. A few seconds later there was a bright flash of light that even Artemis had to shield her eyes from, a second later there was two Percy's, and though almost identical, it was easy to tell which was which.
Perseus had sea green eyes that often had flashes of lightning striking within them. Armageddon had purple eyes that looked almost like they had a continuously swirling black void inside them. He also had faint streaks of purple running through his hair.
"It worked." They both said in amazement.
"Let's make the most of this then." Armageddon said at once.
"Agreed. You go and restore Othrys with Kronos. But wait for me when we get the Titans, it may take the both of us to get close enough to reason with many of them." Percy shot back.
"Alright. Did you want me to do that thing with the mutt and the hunt?" Armageddon asked him quickly. Artemis was in shock, but she soon realized that this was what happens when two aspects have a separate consciousness. They literally had conversations all the time that nobody but Perseus and Armageddon respectively, could hear.
"No. I'll take him with me when I go back to grant Thalia, Atlanta and Phoebe as my generals." Percy told him. Armageddon considered this for a moment.
"Alright. Straight on to Othrys for me. Think I'll take the Leprechauns way." He grinned.
"Fine. But don't break it. We've only been the King for a day, and whilst it may be hilarious to leave Thor stranded for a while, we still need others to be free to come." Percy continued. The two of them slowly started walking towards the big window where they could see their kingdom.
"Shall I inform Heimdude of anything then?" Armageddon asked him, giving him a careful glance.
"You're calling him Heimdude as well? Yes. I wish for Thalia, Atalanta and Phoebe to be given access to the Bifrost. They can call upon Heimdallr whenever they need to attend to business within the kingdom." Percy quickly filled in.
"That makes sense. Especially if you're going to make them generals. Though Ragnar will not like it. Can I kill him?" Armageddon asked as casually as ever.
"He's already dead. That's how he's in Valhalla you fool. Plus you'd only make him fade and as much as you do not like him, he is a very powerful warrior, and he's earned his place in our armies. Besides, we need more generals because of Ares gift. Our numbers will only continue to grow now that we can claim every soul that follows our way of life." Percy looked out to the streets of his beautiful city.
"But Ragnar will be a problem. I shall deal with him before I go to the hunt. That should be everything." Percy nodded. Armageddon grinned before disappearing in a flash of light.
"That… Was really weird. So what's on today's agenda?" Artemis asked him.
"Well. Like Armageddon mentioned, one of my generals will probably try to see to it that there are no new generals that are not of Norse heritage. With the increased numbers in the army I've decided to bring in five experts. Four at the least. They will not have constant duties unless they deem it necessary." Percy sighed as he sat down again on his bed.
"OK, so first things first, make sure this Ragnar guy follows your command. Who are the generals?" Artemis draped her arms over Percy's shoulders, her face next to his.
"I'm offering Thalia, Atalanta and Phoebe all a place in my army along with my blessing. They will remain in the hunt but out of everyone, they mean the most to me, so I'm rewarding them so to speak. Aside from them, I'm offering Selene a place. Do you remember her? She fought alongside me at the battle of camp Jupiter. She is a daughter of Hemera, a very powerful warrior indeed, and she has a great tactical knowledge. My most elite warriors were led by Thor that day, but they all saw how capable the daughter of day was. They will welcome her easily." Percy continued.
"And finally I'm offering, key word, offering, I have no idea whether he'll accept or not, a position to Galo." Percy explained.
"Galo? The son of the two Primordials?" Artemis explained in surprise.
"Yes. He's incredible powerful, and our people respect power, but he is also unhinged and I sense his sanity dwindling ever further. He is also very busy with Athena at the moment, or he will be in the coming days." Percy turned to look at his future wife.
"Lets go and get breakfast in the town market. Everything is made fresh today, that's what happens in a heaven kingdom." Percy smiled. He needed to take his mind off of his 'grand scale' mode and focus on the smaller things. He stood and took Artemis hand. She smiled at him and flashed them both into the market square where everyone around immediately stopped and bowed.
"Stop!" He announced loudly.
"Do NOT under any circumstance bow to me. I may be your King, but I will see to it that I earn each and every one of your respects. Even then… Don't bow. You're my people, not my servants, as you were." He told them with one of his heart melting smiles. There was a moment of silence before a deafening applause roared into the air.
"People, I only wanted to come and get some breakfast, calm down." He laughed in his good nature and so did they. He was already becoming the King he wanted to be. Kind and caring and Artemis found herself believing in the impossible. She thought it was impossible for her to love him anymore than she already did, but here she was. Staring at her future husband with only an ever increasing affection for him.
Line Break
Othrys. "What a shit hole." Armageddon announced as he abruptly tripped over a fallen piece of debris and face planted the ground. "Ouch." He commented lazily. Kronos found himself sporting a humored grin at the sight before him.
"Stop smiling Titan, or I will smite your where you stand." Armageddon growled playfully.
"Sure, whatever you say. This is the grand kingdom of the titans. It has stooped low and since been un-repaired from the long wars we had with the Gods. It's about time that we see to it being restored, this time not in a bid of power." Kronos mused silently as he held his hands up. He was currently in his human form and the only thing that gave him away as not being mortal was his glowing golden eyes and the very short horns that sprouted from his forehead. No matter how hard he tried to hide them, they came back. Suddenly the entire palace was engulfed in flowing airwaves of golden energy that surrounded the entire thing. It took a long and arduous time but after a great effort on Kronos' part, the palace was restored to it's former glory.
"How did you do that?" Armageddon asked him curiously, "I thought Percy was going to make me repair it brick by brick for a few seconds there." He continued.
"In Tartarus I granted Perseus the title of Lord of Time and Ages, but he refused to take any power. Therefore I continue to be the incredibly powerful Titan King who's main domains are time and the ages. Thus the palace is restored." He explained.
"Huh, how about that. Well. Percy wants us to wait for him before we see to recruiting the Titans." Armageddon folded his arms with a bored expression. He noticed Kronos' raised eyebrow and elaborated, "We are separate at the moment, he's tending to business in Asgard before returning to the hunt. After that he'll be with us." He explained.
"You know exactly why he wants to wait. Why don't we just see to it that we recruit minor Titans for now. Once they can see that I am aiding Olympus, they will no doubt see the error of their ways also." Kronos explained.
"Name one." Armageddon turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"My wife, Rhea. She will be vital in gaining the Titans as allies. They will see us both working towards the same cause and it will be evident that we have no interest in crossing Olympus again." Kronos explained.
"Your wife is NOT a minor Titan Kronos but you're not exactly wrong, I'll tell Percy what we're doing and I'll make them each swear on the death oath as he'd intented." Armageddon agreed. He closed his eyes and focused for a few seconds.
"Alright, show me the way." Armageddon explained. Kronos flashed a brief smiled and reached for Armageddon's shoulder where they immediately flashed to a different location.
A/N: Hey guys, I'm remastering this so if you're new to this story and don't see an author's note like this, then you've gone past the point where I've remastered the chapters. Enjoy.
If you feel like supporting my other hobby, you can come and watch me play a load of games, often swearing like a sailor in the process. Check it out. RedThunder /channel/UCuR41yuScY68Z7r84rp0nZg
