Percy hadn't been exaggerating his capabilities. With him controlling their vessel and the seas as well as Jason manipulating the winds in their favor, it only took them a little over a week to sail all the way from Neapoli to Lamia. Their ship was probably the first in history to make a voyage of that length in that short a time. It'd been relatively uneventful, too. A few sea monsters tried to get at them, but most were too slow to keep pace with them so they gave up. Only a couple had the speed to persist, and the two demigods had made short work of them.
Once they reached port, their captain shook each of their hands vigorously. He was so impressed by them that he promised he'd stay in Lamia for two weeks and give them a free return trip to wherever they wanted to go should they ask for it. Percy didn't know whether they'd be making use of that offer, but was glad to have the option.
They only lingered in Lamia for half a day. Jason had proven ill-suited for sailing, and needed time to recover from his seasickness. If Percy was being honest, he was also grateful for the chance to just take a rest after exerting himself so much. Once his feet had touched dry land, the extra energy he'd gained from the ocean had faded away and left him feeling more tired than he'd been in a very long time.
So the pair of demigods spent several hours resting and then took to the road on foot — they didn't have the coin to buy horses after Jason spent most of what he had on a map. It was a long journey and they faced a number of monsters, but Jason's new celestial bronze sword — a gift from Leo — meant they were both well equipped for taking them down quickly. Percy was honestly kind of jealous of it; it was made entirely out of celestial bronze while his only had it on the edge of half the blade. He missed the one he'd lost back in Carthage.
In a single day, they made it less than a third of the way to Larissa. Percy was planning on calling it a night soon when he heard something. Off in the distance there was a very faint yelling. It sounded like some people were in danger. Percy immediately ran toward the source of the noise.
"Where are you going?" Jason took off after him.
"Can't you hear that?" Percy yelled over his shoulder.
"Hear what?"
Percy didn't respond, and instead picked up the pace. The yelling got progressively louder. After half a minute, he could make out the words; they sounded close now.
"Guido! No!" one yelled.
"He's gone. We must flee!"
"But our wings!"
Wings? Percy thought.
Finally, they arrived at a scene that made Percy's stomach sink. Lying around were four motionless horses with wings — pegasi. There was blood everywhere, and not all of the carcasses were in one piece. Some kind of green liquid had been splashed all over, too, which looked to eat at the skin of the pegasi it touched. The only two left alive were backed against the face of a short cliff by a large, multi-headed monster.
"Chimera," Jason said.
At the sound of his voice, the beast turned to face the two of them. The front half of its body was that of a lioness, with a scarred and maneless head to match. Sticking out of its side was a goat's head which seemed to serve no other purpose than to glare at them and bare its surprisingly pointy teeth. The back end of its body was scaly and reptilian, and where there should have been a tail protruded a long diamondback snake; its head turned and hovered between the other two, green venom dripping out of its mouth. The chimera looked skinny, and angry.
"Run away!" Percy shouted at the pegasi.
For some reason, they were hesitant. They gave each other a strange glance before doing as instructed. The chimera snarled furiously. It could probably eat every last pegasus present and still be hungry, and they'd just cost it two. Its snake head shot forward and spat a stream of green venom at them; Jason and Percy simultaneously rolled in different directions to avoid it. The venom splashed onto the ground and made a hissing sound.
Jason charged its left flank and Percy went for its right. The goat head snapped at him, but didn't have enough mobility to come even close to biting him. The snake head went for Jason, which was a mistake. The son of Jupiter swiped his sword up in a clean arc and the snake head went flying away, spilling out blood and a few last drops of venom. The lion head roared and pounced at him and Jason did a backward somersault to avoid it, but the chimera persisted.
Percy ran at it and leapt onto its back. He brought his sword down and drove the tip straight through the back of its main neck. It stumbled and let out a roar from both remaining heads. Both tried to turn and get at him but failed. Jason leaped forward and brought his sword up through the roof of the lion's mouth. The beast exploded into golden dust and Percy dropped to the ground, landing on his feet.
The two only need a couple seconds to catch their breaths, then looked around at the dead pegasi. Percy knelt down by the nearest one and softly touched its lifeless face. He felt personally offended. Horses were sacred to his father, and he'd been too late to stop this massacre. It was as if the Fates thought this an amusing joke to play on him.
"You slew her!"
Percy turned around. The two pegasi trotted back up to them. One had a sleek, black coat and the other was a rich brown. The black one stopped at the side of a white one and nudged it with its nose.
"Guido," it said sadly.
"I thought I told you to run," Percy said to it.
The black pegasus turned its eyes on him. "We did, and came back once you finished her off. We had to thank you."
The brown one nodded in agreement.
Percy stared at them with widened eyes. "You're. . . intelligent."
The black pegasus neighed indignantly. "Of course we're intelligent!"
"Sorry," Percy said. "I'm just used to horses being more. . . short on words."
"We are not regular horses, son of the sea," the brown one stated.
"You know who I am?"
"You kidding?" said the black one. "You smell more like salt water than the ocean does. And you can understand us. Obviously your dad's Poseidon."
"Well, I can't fault you there." Percy glanced at Jason who was standing around awkwardly, having no idea what the pegasi were saying. He returned his gaze to the two pegasi and decided to jump to the matter at hand. "So what happened here? Why did none of you just fly away?"
The black pegasus looked down to the fallen one by its feet again. "We were just flying along when we heard their cries for help, Guido, Scipio, and me — Blackjack. They all had that green stuff on them. We think the monster took them by surprise and went for their wings so they couldn't escape."
"We attempted to lend aid by distracting it long enough for them to flee," the brown pegasus, Scipio, said. "But it was faster than we'd anticipated."
"It hit us with that green stuff and it hurt like crazy," said Blackjack. "Grazed our wings just enough to ground us. Then he got Guido right before you guys showed up."
Percy bowed his head. "I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner."
Blackjack nodded solemnly. "Me too."
Blackjack and Scipio promised them they'd be able to fly them wherever they wanted to go as thanks for saving their lives, but only after their wings were healed. Percy asked how they could help make that happen, but they brushed off the question and said they'd take care of it once they'd attended to the fallen.
So, as per the pegasi's request, Percy and Jason proceeded to spend the next couple hours building a sort of wooden sled and weaving hempen ropes. They placed the dead pegasi on top of it and together dragged it whilst following the pegasi, who were supposedly going to lead them to a "sanctuary". Percy had offered to bury them or build a pyre, but Scipio had put his hoof down. According to him, burial at sea was the only way pegasi wished to be laid to rest. If they got them back to their supposed sanctuary, then they'd find friends who could carry them the rest of the way to the Mare Nostrum.
It only took an hour before Scipio announced that they'd reached their destination. It didn't look like much. They'd entered into a small, hilly forest and stopped at a pretty secluded area. It was quite rocky which made dragging the wooden construct more difficult. The pegasi faced the side of a hill that was made entirely of stone and rocks, but Percy couldn't see anything of interest anywhere.
"Uh, where is it?" he asked.
Blackjack raised his hoof and pointed at the rocky hillside. "There."
"Uh. . ." was all Percy had to say in response.
"Observe," said Scipio. The brown pegasus trotted forward and walked straight into the side of the hill and disappeared.
"This is the Cave of Pegasus," Blackjack told him. "It's got some freaky spell on it so you can't find it unless you know it's here."
"Don't you mean 'cave of pegasi'?" Percy asked.
Blackjack shook his head. "Just come inside. You can leave them out here."
He followed Scipio's lead and disappeared into the hill, leaving the two of them alone with the dead pegasi. Jason raised an eyebrow at Percy, who dropped his rope and stepped up to the hill.
"Well," he said. "May as well try it. Come on."
Jason shrugged and stood beside him. Together, they walked right up to the side of the hill. Right when Percy thought their feet would connect with the hillside, the rocks disappeared. In their place was a tall, wide cave entrance. They proceeded through it. They barely took a few more steps before four pegasi flew over their heads and out of the entrance they'd just come through, presumably to tend to their fallen brethren.
Inside they found perhaps the most magnificent cave Percy had ever seen, not that he'd seen many. It was massive — so big in fact that there was literally no way it could fit inside that small hill. The ground inside was covered in tall grass. Lining the walls were many ledges and natural balconies. At the back of the cave there was a sparkling pond with a thin stream of water trickling into it from a hole in the wall. The most obvious thing about the cave, though, was that it was completely filled with pegasi. There were some sipping from the pond, nibbling at the grass, sleeping on the ledges, and even flying around in the big open space. They all looked so peaceful and comfortable. A gorgeous ray of sunshine beamed down on them from a hole in the ceiling; that wasn't the brightest thing in the room, however.
Right in the center of the cave there was one pegasus larger than all the others. It was at least twice the height of Blackjack, even with his legs folded beneath him. His head was bowed and eyes firmly shut. His face was a mix of crimson and gold. The rest of his coat was a darker shade of brown than Scipio's but covered in spots of varying colors and shades: white, black, gray, yellow, brown, and even blue. Jason came to the realization before he did.
Jason gasped. "Is that. . . him?"
"Yes," Blackjack answered, even though he couldn't hear him. "That is Pegasus, our ancestor and god."
"Your brother," Scipio added, who was laying in the grass near him, his injured wings spread wide.
Poseidon once had an affair with Medusa in Athena's temple, which caused the goddess to curse her. When Percy's namesake — the original Perseus — severed her head, two beings were born from her blood when it dripped into the sea: Chrysaor, an infamous pirate, and Pegasus, the first winged horse. Since they shared the same father, that did technically make Percy their brother.
"He's asleep," Percy said.
Blackjack sat down near Pegasus as well and then nodded sadly. "Yes. He's been like that since I was just a foal."
Percy approached him in awe, only getting as close as he could before the other pegasi started eyeing him dangerously. This was an actual Greek god. Juno hadn't impressed him as much, but probably because she'd chosen to mask her power. Pegasus, on the other hand, gave off a glowing aura that made all of its descendants' coats reflect gold. He could feel his power radiating off of him, but he also felt it waning.
"He's dying," Jason muttered.
Several pegasi neighed and shuffled upon hearing that, but none moved. They knew it was true, but perhaps they just didn't like hearing it said aloud. Percy could only imagine how strong the god's aura must have felt ten years ago, and didn't want to know how weak it'd be ten years from now if he failed in his duty.
"We'll save him," Percy announced.
That brought everyone's attention toward him.
"How?" one asked.
"All of the Greek gods are sharing in Pegasus's fate," he said. "We were given a quest to save them. We don't know what it'll take or how we'll do it, but I believe we'll find answers on Olympus."
"So you're just guessing that you'll be able to restore his strength?" another pegasus said doubtfully.
"Juno sent Jason to help me. How can we fail if a literal goddess is endorsing us?"
A black pegasus neighed and stomped her hoof. "Juno? How can you trust her? She's Roman."
Percy stared at her. "You don't like Romans?"
Jason shifted uncomfortably.
"We know the Roman pegasi have done nothing but look down on us whenever we try and fly near their lands. Pegasus's Roman counterpart has actively shunned and avoided us because we weren't descended from him, even going so far as to let some of us die when asked for help."
Percy glanced at Jason. "That's just one instance. You can't blame them all for one god and his descendants' actions."
"We can."
"Hey!" Blackjack said defiantly. "These demigods saved our lives. I know Roman pegasi have been known to be mean, but if they say they can save Pegasus then I trust them."
There was some murmuring, and Percy heard every word. They were divided on the issue, but eventually they came to a consensus.
"We won't try and stop them, but so long as they consort with Romans they'll see no aid from us."
"Except me," said Blackjack.
"And I," Scipio agreed.
The other pegasi remained silent.
Scipio looked at Percy. "His presence bolsters and heals us. We'll be well enough to depart in the morning. We will fly you to Olympus and wherever else your quest shall take you."
"Thank you," said Percy.
"Not a problem, Boss," said Blackjack.
"Don't call me that."
"You got it, Boss."
Percy turned to Jason.
"Uh, care to explain what just happened?" the son of Jupiter asked.
Percy told him. After that, the two left the cave to find a place to camp for the night. Percy didn't feel comfortable going to sleep near all the spiteful pegasi, and sleeping outside was nothing new by this point. The wooden sled containing the slain pegasi was gone, and he was happy in knowing they'd find peace.
As promised, the two pegasi's wings were as good as new the following day. After waking up, the demigods took only enough time to eat and prepare for the journey. The pegasi soared into the skies with Percy on Blackjack and Jason riding Scipio.
Flying was a strange experience. Percy never thought he'd feel so comfortable being that high above sea level, but he took to riding a pegasus like he'd been doing it his whole life. Sure, the idea that if he just leaned too far to the side he'd plummet to his death was scary, but he trusted his steed. He supposed his father often being at odds with the lord of the skies was balanced out by him also being the creator of horses.
A journey that should have taken them a few more days ended in several hours. Blackjack and Scipio only had to land twice to rest their wings during the flight, completely skipping over Larissa. But finally, way sooner than they'd suspected, their destination came into view — Mount Olympus. Percy had no words to describe it. It was just a mountain, but he was completely humbled by the sight of it. He was about to be in the presence of the actual Olympians, possibly even his father.
"We're here," Blackjack said as they touched ground one more time.
Scipio landed beside them with Jason.
"I never thought I'd get to see it in person," his friend said in awe.
"And we'll get to see the city too," Percy replied.
"When your brother, Bellerophon, attempted to ride Pegasus to the city," Scipio explained, "he wound up crippled for the rest of his life at the hands of Zeus. Are you certain you wish to attempt this?"
"Zeus is asleep. There's no reason to fear repeating history."
"Repeating history?" said Jason.
"Bellerophon once rode Pegasus —"
"Oh, right! I remember now. Jupi — uh, sorry. Zeus sent a gadfly to bite Pegasus which caused Bellerophon to bucked off. It'd be pretty bad if that happened to us."
"It won't," Percy insisted.
"I trust you, Boss," said Blackjack.
Percy sighed, realizing that name was going to stick.
"If you wish to take the risk," said Scipio, "then we will ascend on your mark."
"You ready?" Percy asked Jason.
The son of Jupiter nodded.
"Let's go."
The pegasi spread their wings once more and lifted off the ground. As they rose, clouds rapidly formed around the peak of the mountain. Soon, they obscured Mount Olympus entirely. The pegasi rose higher than where the peak had been and then dove through the clouds. For several seconds, Percy couldn't see a thing. Then the skies cleared and a small, sprawling city met his eyes.
Honestly, it was a let down. This was the actual city of the gods. He'd expected gold and marble everywhere you could see. He thought even the least grand building here would still be more interesting than the most impressive one humans ever built. But Olympus looked like a regular old village. There were a couple dozen buildings at most and were all of the highest quality, that much was certain, but it didn't come close to comparing to any of the mortal cities Percy had seen during his life. There was some marble here and there and an occasional statue made of polished copper, but the main material used was wood and common stones. On top of all that, it was eerily vacant; there wasn't anyone to be seen in the entire city.
"It's not just the gods that are dying," Blackjack told him, as if he knew what he was thinking.
Percy didn't need him to explain any further. Maybe a decade ago Olympus would have exceeded his expectations. It seemed that during the gods' slumber the city had deteriorated with them — gold changed to bronze, marble turned to basalt or granite, and wood replaced whatever other elegant material that met the gods' standards. He wondered how much longer this would have to continue before there wasn't even a city left.
Blackjack and Scipio landed on a cobblestone pathway that snaked between the buildings. They folded their wings and didn't seem willing to go any farther.
"It feels wrong, Boss," said Blackjack. "I don't want to go there."
"Nor I," Scipio agreed. "It's. . . corrupted."
"What does that mean?" Percy asked.
"I'm honestly not certain. The gods are here, that much we can know. But it feels as if their auras are combating with something. If you wish to proceed, you must do so without us."
Percy slid off of Blackjack and his feet touched the ground. He stumbled and had to catch his balance; he'd forgotten how long they'd been flying.
"Sorry, Boss," said Blackjack.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "We'll go alone."
Hearing this, Jason dismounted Scipio and stood beside him. "They're not coming?"
Percy shook his head. "Said something about their auras fighting something. They don't want to get closer."
"Let's go then."
"We'll be right here when you're done," Blackjack promised.
Percy nodded to them and then started down the path with Jason by his side. As they walked, he peeked through a few windows of the houses but found them vacant at first glance. Maybe he'd find someone if he went inside, but he was here for one thing: answers. He was willing to bet that if they were on Olympus, they'd be in Zeus's palace, not some random houses. If need be, he'd search them last.
"I feel like a trespasser here," Jason muttered.
Percy glanced at him. He opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say in response. The two continued in silence.
Only a minute of walking ensued before the palace came into sight, and its grandeur matched the rest of the buildings. It was barely larger than the Curia Hostilia and shaped like a rectangle. It was still comprised mainly of marble, but there were a lot of copper details and trims that Percy guessed used to be solid gold. He also had a sneaking suspicion that it used to be a lot larger.
Jason hesitated near the steps but Percy marched right on up to the double-door. He considered knocking, but realized that would be pointless. He pulled the doors open wide and stepped into the palace. Once he saw what was inside, he stopped in his tracks.
The entrance led directly into the throne room. Twelve chairs sat around an unlit hearth in a 'U' shape. Each one was unique, but not all that special. In the thrones, the twelve Olympians sat slumped with their eyes closed, their chests slowly rising and falling as they breathed. The goddesses took the five chairs on the left half of the room and the gods took the other seven chairs on the right half.
Percy could immediately tell who was who. From closest to farthest on the left he saw Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, Demeter, and Hera. To the right of her, directly opposite the entrance, was Zeus. To his left was Poseidon, Percy's father. He slept in his green chair looking uncomfortable, and his hand held onto a solid gold trident that stood tall. He had the same black hair as him and even in his sleep looked to have an easy-going attitude. Percy slowly approached him, as if in a trance, but stopped before having even made it halfway.
The hearth in the center of the room suddenly ignited in a massive, raging fire. Percy stared at it in awe for a couple seconds before it died down to the size of a regular campfire. There was someone sitting on the other side of it. She was cross legged and holding an iron poker. She looked to be about nine years old with unkempt brown hair and eyes that bore tiny flames in place of pupils.
"Hello Perseus, Jason Grace," the girl said in a tired voice.
A familiar warm breeze briefly brushed past him. Percy walked toward her and heard Jason's footsteps behind him. He knew who she was. The girl was Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and home, and she was awake.
A/N: This story still has a ways to go. I'd thought by chapter 30 we'd be close to wrapping up, but now I suspect that it could last until chapter 40 or even 45. I'm not sure, honestly. It'll end when it ends. The last thing I want to do is rush this story. I hope you all are still sticking with me and keep reading until the end, whenever that comes.
Please review. I write this story because it's got a plot that I'm in love with and I want to see it all the way through, but it's your support that motivates me to keep going. Every time I see the review count go up by one I'm like a kid opening a present on Christmas. I don't care whether it's long or short, super positive or super negative, supportive or critical, from a guest or a registered user. I'm just happy that someone had enough interest in my story to take the time to write something.
Of course, this doesn't mean I'm asking you to just write down a one or two word review with no meaning; if you have nothing to say, I'd rather you not review — I still appreciate you just for reading. I just wanted to let you know that I care what you think about my work and really enjoy receiving your feedback. I'm going to keep uploading new chapters even if they receive 0 reviews. Just know it makes me really happy to receive them. See you all next chapter!