Catherine, a Hound of Hell
1st March 2016
It was not like it was not a happy time, but it was not the best time of his life. That man was always a part of his life and when he suddenly disappeared, it raised many questions.
He had been angry, very angry and righteously too.
So he did the thing he did when he was ten and left the traitors. But this time, nobody stopped him because his only minder was gone and his friends were coming with him.
When Will had tried to come with him, Nico had denied, told him that his father's business waits for him. Lying to getaway. It did not leave him feeling good.
Though he was not the only one who left. They tried to take the Labyrinth but it crashed horribly on Leo, he would forever limp. Though Leo was fine, he could not leave with Mars who had taken to come for them. Nico voluntarily stayed back for Leo, who was becoming a nice friend even if ignore that fact.
Hazel and Frank had to leave though since Mars had to collect them for Greece. They did not want to go but they had to. They never saw Nico again until a year later after he found out that Frank was now a History Teacher in Athens and Hazel was the topper in her year of university.
Leo and Nico had continued through the United States and to Mexico, illegally of course. To get away from Olympian Gods. Of course, they did not that the Aztec Gods existed. They had treated like enemies until they helped get Tezcatlipoca under control.
Xipe Totec, God of Fertility and Sacrifice, Patron of Craftsmen, even offered Leo a chance to stay forever and Nico a passage since Hades was too similar to their own Mictlantecuhtli, grumpy and distrusted, though their distrust was more reasonable since Mictlantecuhtli did prank everyone much time recently, lethally.
So Nico, without Leo, left back to America to see if he can find Percy. He found him too. He had been very happy, too much in fact.
Since that day, Nico stayed with Percy, only ever leaving when Apollo came, even that was decreasing now though, because he looked too much like his son.
Nico Di Angelo was then called when he was eighteen by his father, Hades the Darkest Light God. Of course, that was Percy's choice of words when he had made Nico happy on a significantly hormonal and moody day.
His father looked down at him where he stood. Nico had just walked to his father after travelling his way here from the shadows. Hades looked tired and paler since Nico had seen him last time. He looked happy though, very much in fact. It made Nico defensive.
His father said in an older voice, "Son". It was a very emotional greeting from someone like Hades.
Nico said cautiously, "Father."
Hades looked happier like he did whenever called his father by his children. It was sad really that he did not have immortal children, every Greek Myth that told him to have children had different and truer versions in which they were not his children. Zagreus, Macaria, Melinoë, Plutus, and the Three Furies, every single one of them were not his children.
Zagreus, Macaria and Melinoë were Zeus' children with Hades' wife and his own daughter, Persephone. Plutus was the son of Demeter and Iasion (A Lower Immortal), and The Kindly Ones, the Trio of Furies, (Tisiphone, Alecto and Megaera) were one of the creations of Ouranos' Blood Spill from his Phallus.
So Nico was currently Hades' only alive child, with Hazel being Pluto's child and all that dead shit.
Hades said, "Son, I want you to know that 'The King of Olympus, Mighty Zeus' has seen fit to kill any Titan he comes across. So, of course, the Underworld has been filled to the brim with many guests, my wife, her mother and Hestia, my sister."
Nico asked curiously, "What does this have to do with me?"
Hades looked brighter suddenly as he said mischievously, "It has come to my attention that not many like, nor do Poseidon and his Mortal Son, so if hypothetically a God tells his son about the ingoings of Olympus who happens to know Poseidon's said son, it would not be a problem, would it?"
Nico, suddenly understanding that he will have inside news that will never be told to anyone but immortals, said, "Of course not, father, hypothetically of course."
Hades grinned and said, "That is amazing! Now let me tell you some stories from my work . . ."
And that is how Nico came to be the knowledge bearer of the ongoing Civil War between 'Believers' and 'Sceptics' in Camp Olympia with 'Believers' being the people who had lived through the wars and know who Percy Jackson is, and 'Sceptics' being the more powerful group with Annabeth in there.
Since Jason, Piper, Grover and Chiron were being neutral, many newcomers to the Camp, who outnumbered the other campers by seventeen to one, joined Annabeth as did many of her siblings and those who did not like Percy much, with the latter being about three persons who liked Octavian.
With more than half the camp being against them, Clarisse, Nyssa, Kayla and Drew were not in a good position. Even if Grover was more on their side than not, Chiron was siding with Annabeth even if that was because he sees her like a daughter.
And that is how the warm atmosphere started to end in the Camp. The Olympians split between Hephaestus, Triton, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Dionysus and Hera on one side with Demeter and Hermes being neutral.
With Poseidon leaving though, it was a massacre since Zeus took many advantages to get Artemis on his side and Hermes and Demeter, one of the Gods who thought negatively of Percy but thought him to be nice, to be neutral. Zeus is also making things difficult by making Triton be more neutral since Triton envied Percy for having their father like him.
And that is how they reached where they are. A few days ago he had been told that Hecate had mysteriously taken ill and was losing much divine power. Oh, she will live alright but she will be not such a major goddess. There was also the fact that the Mist will be either completely removed or severely weakened.
Hecate was kept in a curse as well that made her mute, suspiciously enough.
Percy had asked for more information on the topic but he seemed as if he knew what had happened. Percy was only theorising though, Nico realised, and guiltily felt pleasure that he was useful for his oldest friend.
Percy told, "Nico, I will not be home for a couple of weeks, so don't be surprised if I mysteriously disappear tomorrow. I have told Mrs O'Leary and Apollo too, so be careful around here, Apollo will come with the intention to prank."
Nico nodded seriously and asked a doubt that was in his mind for a long time, "Why do we call Mrs O'Leary, Mrs O'Leary though? Does she not have a first name?"
Not having spent met Dedalus more than a couple of times, Nico did not know much about Mrs O'Leary backstory since she was still sad about her owner's death. Hellhounds feelings matter for both, Percy and Nico.
Percy looked honestly surprised and said doubtfully, "No, never. Quintus never said a word about Mrs O'Leary having a first name beyond the fact that he named her after Catherine O'Leary."
Nico said, "I don't know if anyone's noticed but 'Mrs O'Leary' seems to be a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?"
Percy nodded agreeably, he looked at Mrs O'Leary and asked, "Are you okay with us calling you 'Cate', girl?"
Mrs O'Leary looked thoughtful for a seemingly long time and her eyes looked to be glinting a sorrowful blue in the sunlight from the small window of the shack, so when she nodded slowly, Nico almost missed it.
Percy looked cheerful in a sorrowful manner, it was a hopeful face, Nico realised, and Percy said, "Okay, Catherine 'Cate' O'Leary, we are gonna have a blast within the four of us."
'Cate' barked testily and wiggled her tail happily. However close those Hounds are to Hell, they are dogs with a fetish of bones and 'bones'. Nico does not understand dogs but he could see when they are happy and when they are not. And he knows a LOT about feelings.
Nico shook his head from inappropriate thoughts and looked at Cate the Hellhound, she stared at him and barked as if to tell something. Nico did not understand.
Nico asked Percy, still looking at Cate, "Hey Perce? Does Cate seem to be telling something? Do you know what she is- ?"
He looked up and looked around. He called, "Percy?"
No one answered.
Nico asked Cate, "Is this what he meant by disappearing?"
Cate nodded in amusement and Nico sighed. Guess Percy's only positive and mature company was Nico. Apollo, however old he may be, is NOT old enough, even if he has grandsons worth of grandsons for the number of granddaughters in the granddaughters.
_
Percy looked around in wonder. This was his first time in this place. This was his first time out of Earth. It looked Dark and Black. And it looked AMAZING.
Annabeth should never be here, she would likely drool all over the architecture. Percy could not even bring himself to think of Athena coming here.
Percy grinned despite himself and walked into the shiny black castle with cheerful smatterings of blue, purple, green and gold, here and there in a professional way. There were also dark reds and dark browns as tinted glass but they did not look too prominent.
Black did seem to be a major colour though.
It was the largest skyscraper he had ever seen. It was too tall for Percy to see the end of it, even with his advanced eyesight (from his Dad, sailors do need to see far).
The Entrance Hall had banners and tapestries of many deities, that looked ancient by Olympian standards. The Hall had a long carpet with a dark forest green and the roof seemed to show Sun, Earth and Moon.
Percy was so amazed by the sights that he walked into someone. He stumbled and quickly apologised, knowing they will likely kill him first and ask questions later, "I am so sorry!" It was a squeak from his lips really.
The woman with black hair and a rock-solid aristocratic face, smirked in a manner that seemed to even look expensive. Her eyes looked to be the darkest black and her body seemed to be a bit too muscled for such a delicate body.
She looked to be like Hylla when Percy met the Amazonian Queen, she was strong, feminine and exceedingly capable.
She raised a manicured eyebrow and said in a mysterious and serene voice that seemed to calm him, "Perseus, the newest God made by my Lady, there is no need for you to apologise."
Percy blushed as he saw her hands and coughed slightly o hide his awkwardness. She seemed to be smug enough to look like it when someone came to save him.
The light male voice Percy had earlier heard, before fainting and become a God, said in a scandalised tone, "Thalassa! Stop scaring the boy, young lady, right now! He has to meet with Grandmother immediately and we have to make him look every bit as deserving he is to her. Do you understand?"
The woman, Thalassa, nodded with a cute pout and then huffed quietly, "Okay, father."
The man came into view and he seemed to be Apollo's nicest uncle. He had a bright and pale face and looked to be in his late forties. His short black hair came to his ears and his moustache looked to be a rapist's, being so thin.
He smiled invitingly and tiredly, he said, "Forgive my daughter, Perseus, you have been very famous recently since My Lady, my Grandmother, heard of you. You know why you are here now, young man, and you better behave a bit properly. My Lady hates stuffy formalities, she says so."
Percy almost sighed in relief. It had been a piece of shit for him since he was demanded to come here. He would be carried through the sky in a bit of sparkly light by Ouranos, the Sky, and would be in the Realm of Chaos. Then his 'Patron' seemingly, Aether, would escort him to be approved by the Ultimate Ruler of the Greek Pantheon, Chaos. Every Immortal had to do so, sometimes they know what is happening and sometimes they are small enough immortals that they are just allowed and ignored.
Percy (Perseus, he had to be a bit formal to these people, he realised), being the Greek God of Time, Earth, Tides, Loyalty, Love, Wildness and Battles. And he was the Roman God, Draco, too. Draco being his Roman personification in which he was a bit more emotionless and vindictive.
In all his thoughts, ADHD seemed to have gone but after leaving a permanent effect, Percy found himself standing in front of a bunch of people trying to look blank and failing miserably. Aether and Thalassa were standing beside him.
A woman with tanned skin and light brown hair came to him. She had a shapely body that screamed 'Perfection!' in every way. Her Auburn eyes twinkled as she looked at him. Her sundress flowed on its own and she was deemed to look 'Hot'.
She smiled with her plump and rosy lips at him and then turned to the group, she announced in a bright voice, "My Family, I introduce you to Greek God Perseus, of Time, Earth, Tides, Loyalty, Love, Wildness and Battles. And I introduce you to Roman God Draco, of Time, Earth, Tides, Loyalty, Love, Wildness and Battles. I, Hemera, of Day, and my Brother, Aether, of Light, deem him to be a respectful individual.
"Should Perseus be deemed as such by the Primordial Council of Lady Chaos, he will be permanently a God until he Fades. Does anyone have questions?" Hemera critically looked at everyone and then nodded in satisfaction until a huge male raised his hand slowly.
She asked with pursed lips, "What is it, Hypos?"
Hypnos bit back a yawn and smirked lazily, he said cheerfully, "Sister, I had wanted to ask if you may enlighten some of the ignorant Primordial Deities here, why is Perseus a candidate to be selected?"
Hemera almost squealed, at least that's what Percy was able to decipher, and she said joyfully, "He has triumphed Alecto, Fury, and Asterion, Minotaur, without training at twelve, a feat almost unheard of, he has also triumphed the call of Kronos, Titan, and Sirens, Enchanters, while travelling through the Sea of Monsters alone and rescued a fallen friend from Sirens.
"Perseus had done that before he held up the sky at the tender age of fourteen and had battled four Titans and defeated them all with intelligence and strength. The Titans were Kronos, Hyperion, Atlas and Iapetus.
"Perseus has also prevented Gaia from almost destroying the Olympians again-" She looked pointedly at a fair and curvy woman, who blushed. Hemera continued, "Perseus has defeated Gods and Giants, he has triumphed Monsters and Primordials, therefore, I seem to agree that he must be a God.
"Though there are other factors as well. I want to convey that Perseus is a kind-hearted person and has the Spirit of Pan inside him. Having the Spirit of a God has made him all the better person. He is cautious and determined. He is kind and honest. And on top of that all, he is wise, intelligent, powerful and capable.
"He will make a perfect God."
Percy was hearing to Hemera so he did not notice some Deities taking notes, they were, after all, evaluating him. Though Percy had noticed a person at the end of the table smiling.
As soon as Hemera ended her reasoning, the person nodded to her and Thalassa, Hemera and Aether sat down at empty seats, seemingly their own.
The person, who Percy could now see was a woman, stood and let her white hair fell. Her wrinkles stood out prominently and her glasses sparkled in the light like stars. Her black eyes looked deep enough to suck your soul and her body seemed to be that of a woman in her early fifties. She was wearing a modern business suit for women and stood out like a sore thumb.
She was Chaos, Percy realised.
She said in a wise and all-knowing voice that Percy knew from his lake incident in Greece, "Does anybody counter Perseus?"
Nobody did.
Then she smiled warmly and she seemed at least ten years younger, she said casually, "Welcome, Perseus, to the Family of Immortals. You are now a God."
Percy dipped his head respectfully as a bell rang.
Many started leaving until a few left. Aether, Hemera, Thalassa, the woman that Percy suspected to be Gaia, Chaos and some more.
Chaos announced, "Perseus, there are a couple of matters we have to talk about. The first topic being the fact that I want you to know it is rare to have cases in the Council where nobody speaks against another."
Percy replied automatically, "Why?"
Chaos gestured to a chair opposite herself and he sat in it. She nodded and said, "I had called upon Aether and Hemera to make you a God. That is why."
Percy frowned, "Why?"
A pale man who looked like a soldier with dirty blonde hair and cold pale blue eyes said in a tone that usually reserved to teaching, though his dark voice was acceptable, "Perseus, you have achieved things that Gods have not. No God has ever changed things radically and none have saved the world alone. If not for your understanding of Luke Castellan, he may have let Kronos annihilate him."
Percy paled at that.
The man continued, "You are chosen to be a God as a gift as much as a curse. You are to remain loyal to My Lady Chaos, my Mother, forever to have a modicum of control over you and to see that your potential is reached."
Percy nodded.
Chaos looked at her son seemingly and then shifted her body. Her white hair became a platinum-blond and her wrinkles lessened, she looked to be in her early forties. She said to herself, "It is a relief to not look like the old lady."
It was heard by all. Everyone smirked, except Percy.
She said to him, "I have an image to maintain, young man, as is my duty. Now, for the second topic, your friend Apollo has taught you enough in the years and you must learn the rest yourself, much like every immortal.
"For the third thing, I want you to know that everyone here is the eldest of Primordials. We are here at the moment, for you. You have to learn some things now and-" She looked at everyone and finished, "It might be better if you knew the main people in control."
The man who explained Percy the stuff, smirked mischievously and said, "I am Tartarus."
Percy choked on air as everyone laughed at his expense. Not cool, not cool at all. Here was the Deity who killed his friends and they were laughing at him?
Tartarus knowing what Percy is saying, explained, "He had to die, Perseus. Bob, Iapetus, had long understood who he is and started to see what the world is. He started dividing his divine energy to you, since you saved him, and to that Son of Hades he liked so much. Iapetus was dying and he died releasing much of his divine energy to you while sending the rest to nature. He was a great lover of life and greenness in his youth."
Percy nodded uncertainly.
The fair and curvy woman, who looked like a homely mother, said softly, "It was not an intention I had, but I had loved my children greatly, Perseus. After your friends had my physical form to be asleep, I understood that my son had to die and that you were making the world better. I am Gaia, Mother Earth."
Percy, this time knowing the logical explanations, simply nodded warily. He noticed though, that Gaia sent Tartarus a smug grin. Sibling Rivalry at the finest.
A man with dark skin and dark ginger hair said, his right eye glinting a dark brown while his left was twinkling white, "I am Erebus, The Underworld."
Aether nodded to him and Hemera smiled at him with . . . a distinguishable expression that would have made Thalassa jealous, which she was not as she was too busy giving Percy a hungry stare.
A man with light blue eyes and dark hair that shined purple, said jovially, "Nice to meet you, son. I am your Great-Grandfather, Ouranos. My physical body is still not available so we cannot shake hands at this time."
Percy nodded sceptically. This was a politician.
A man with untidy black hair and tired golden eyes raised a cup of coffee that said 'You are Late, I am always on Time'. He grunted in a somehow happy tone, "Name's Chronos, Time."
Percy looked at his ultimate superior and noticed that he looked just like Percy except for the tiredness and the golden eyes. Percy felt a brief moment of pity for the inconvenient deity who ruins time management by being too fast or too slow.
A dark-skinned woman, with narrow eyes and jet black straight hair, smiled coldly. She looked at Chaos, who shook her head, and sighed in defeat. The woman rolled her silver eyes and said coldly to him, "Nyx. Nice to meet you again, Perseus."
Percy gulped despite himself. He apologised, this woman could literally destroy his career, "I am sorry, Lady Nyx, for trespassing your castle's boundaries in Tartarus."
Nyx looked at him and narrowed her eyes, before huffing and looking away.
Erebus rolled his eyes and looked at Percy. He sighed and told, "She is like that most of the times. Comes with the 'cold, deadly and unreachable night' thingy, I am afraid."
Hemera told Percy as well, "I am afraid that Mother is like that with me at the best of times."
Percy, inwardly shocked that Nyx and Hemera are mother and daughter, even if already knew that, nodded slowly.
A man who looked like Poseidon a lot, with jet-black hair and goatee, sea-green eyes and laidback expression, smiled at Percy. The man's regal face looked to suit him well too, Percy noticed.
The man's smile widened, though it was turning into a smug grin, and he said, "You will be meeting me a lot, kiddo. Name's Pontus."
Percy smiled as well this time. Water was something he can handle.
Speaking of water, Pontus' almost twin (because he had deep blue eyes) nodded and said deeply, "Forget that Pontus dude right there, I am the REAL water deity with a capital R. I am Hydros."
"Oh."
Before anything else can happen, a pale man with chiselled abs and long wavy blonde hair, shook his head, and spread out his . . . . wings. He winked at Percy with his sapphire blue eyes and said in a distinctively kind voice, "I am Eros."
Percy stared in horror.