*All rights belong to Rick Riordan*
Chapter 7: The Titans
(Percy)
"So, where do you want me to begin?" I asked Thalia and the other hunters that I met before during the battle of Manhattan.
"I don't know, how about from the beginning." Thalia said sarcastically from beside me, clearly she was pissed off and impatient.
"Well, Arty can help me with that can't you? Especially since you were there in the council meeting." I told Artemis, these are her hunters so they should listen to her more than they will listen to me.
"Very well Percy." Artemis sighed and sat down beside me.
"During the awarding ceremony, we Olympians requested that Percy go undercover to Othrys to gain the favor and alliance of the titans."
"Wait what? Is this because of the upcoming war milady?" Thalia asked her.
Artemis nodded and looked at me expectantly, I guess it is my job now to explain everything else.
"You all have been informed of what is to come. Last year, I was brought to Othrys to persuade the Titans in helping us in this coming war. They were willing to help us but I had to do whatever they challenged me to do, this was done in order for them to see if I was trustworthy enough to earn their favor."
"How come you could not talk to us then? Why did this have to be a secret and what did the Titans want from you?" Thalia asked in rapid succession. I guess I could not blame her, we have not seen each other for a year so she probably has a million questions.
"We kept this a secret because we did not want the enemy to know that Percy was with the titans. I was told to provide a cover story on Percy's disappearance." Artemis answered for me.
"So you not able to track him was a lie after all milady?" Asked Phoebe, a hunter that I have met during my early days of quests and in the battle of Manhattan.
"I am the goddess of the hunt, I can track anything and anyone. To say that this man beside me was untraceable was probably the stupidest thing Athena could come up with." Said Artemis angrily, it sounded like her pride was hurt very badly when she announced to everyone that she cannot find me.
"So what did they make you do Percy?" Thalia asked.
"Well, there are 7 main titans, so I was given 7 months to gain each of their favor. I would spend 1 month with each titan and would have to do any task that they would require from me. Some were not so difficult, some were a bit tiring." I told them. "I guess I just have to start during the first month."
(Flashback, 1 year ago)
(Percy)
My first month was spent with Queen Rhea. She was kind enough to tell me that she does not require much from me. She has seen my good deeds and actions throughout my quests and has already deemed me worthy the moment I asked for the Titans to be released. Instead, she asked me to tell me what has been going on in Olympus and her children as she has not been able to see any of them or know what they have been doing for a very long time. So I spent an entire day with her recounting various events about what the Olympians have been up too. I also told her about each one of them. The next day, she requested that I bring her to Olympus to finally meet all of them again. I had no idea how to travel to Olympus and appear with the Queen of the titans without informing them beforehand. So I iris messaged my father and asked him to meet me by the entrance of the garden. When he arrived, he was shocked to see his mother and was even more shocked when she hugged him. This was VERY hilarious to watch.
"Oh my baby boy Poseidon look how much you have grown." Rhea said. I was struggling not to laugh at the current situation.
"M-Mother?!" My father said, clearly still in shock about what is happening.
"Of course it is me you fool, or have you forgotten that your mother is the Queen of the Titans and lives in Othrys?" Rhea asked him glaring.
"N-no I was just not expecting you to be here as well, of course I was planning to see you." My father said trying to explain himself.
"I'm just joking Poseidon, I know you, you have always been a Mommy's boy haven't you?"
I have never seen my father as embarrassed as he is now.
"I have met your son and I have to say, he is the greatest hero I've come to watch throughout the millennia of my exile."
"Ah yes, Percy has made me an extremely proud father and I could not have asked for a better son." My dad said smiling.
"Hey dad, Lady Rhea has a request that we bring her to Olympus so that she can be reunited with all of you, and also meet the other Olympians that she hasn't met as well."
"Sounds like a plan, I can't wait to see Mother start pinching your Uncle's face." My father said grinning.
"Which Uncle?" I asked
"Both of them." He answered laughing, I had to laugh as well just imagining the Lord of the Underworld and The King of the gods being pinched by their mother.
"Very well mother, Percy. If you would grab my hand, I will transport you outside the council chamber and summon the Olympians. I will just give you a signal on when you should enter."
He transported us outside the council chamber, he went inside then shortly after we heard a large slam as he summoned the council.
"Brother, why have you called a meeting?" Zeus asked curiously.
"I would like all of you to meet someone." My father said, trying to hold his laughter in.
"Well? Who is it?" Zeus asked impatiently.
"Well it is your own mother of course, or have you already forgotten me?" Rhea said as we both entered the chamber.
The look on their faces was enough to make me fall on the floor from laughter, Rhea then grabbed Hades and Zeus by their ears and began pinching them and scuffing their hair.
"Oh my baby boy's look how much you have grown." Rhea said happily, meanwhile the two Olympian Lord's looked like they were suffering from shock. Hestia, Hera, and Demeter then went to their mother and hugged her after she released the shocked figures of Zeus and Hades. What happened next was a nice family reunion as she got to meet the younger Olympians. After a few hours it started getting dark, so me and Rhea had to make our leave back to Othrys. We both said our goodbye's then Hermes transported us back to the Palace. After he left Rhea then hugged me.
"Thank you Perseus, You have allowed me to be reunited with my family again and for that you have my gratitude. You do not need to do anything else for me during this month, I wish you luck on the next 6 months as you will be challenged by some of my siblings because they still do not think you are worthy enough."
"Thank you Lady Rhea, I will not fail this mission as the fate of the world is at stake."
And with that she made her way back into the Palace. I couldn't help but feel motivated to overcome these challenges. Whatever comes next, I am ready.
The second month was spent with Lady Themis, this month was spent studying the judicial system of the world, which makes sense since she is the Titaness of law, order, and fairness. So this month consisted of researching and going to different countries and observing each legislative system. It was kind of boring, but Lady Themis and I soon became friends and would usually joke around with each other during our trips across countries.
It was fun, until the day Artemis informed me what has been happening with Annabeth and what she has been up to recently. I was left broken and unmotivated, angry at fate and the world.
"WHY IS LIFE SO UNFAIR!" I yelled after Artemis left, crying my heart and pain out on my knees.
"Tell me what is unfair about life Percy." Themis asked from behind me, she placed her hand on my shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"It is always me sacrificing myself for the greater good, I never have had the chance to live my life the way I wanted to." I told her, crying.
"It is not unfairness Percy, some could call it bad luck but it isn't that as well. It is your fate, you have been chosen to lead a united front for three wars, as such there will be a cost. I understand that you have never wanted this to happen but it is out of our control. The 3 fates weave the thread of fate, they do not control what is bound to happen but they control how it is going to happen. Whatever is happening now was always meant to happen, they chose you because they have seen the greatness that you have inside of you. Not even Hercules himself was given the honor of leading a united army of Greek, Roman, Olympians, and Titans against the most dangerous enemy the world could ask for. In war, sacrifices have to be made. For heroes, struggle and pain are old friends. As the greatest hero, you have been given the greatest responsibilities, therefore you will also have to make the greatest sacrifices. It is the way that balance and fairness work. I could not do anything but say sorry for the life you are facing, I can only give my comfort and advice to help you." Themis finished, by this point I have stopped crying and just listened carefully to each word she said. As the Titaness of fairness, I believed her. I do not control what is going to happen, I can only do the responsibilities that have been given to me to the best of my abilities.
"Thank you Themis, I understand now." I said sadly.
"We are friends Percy, if you need anything you can always ask me. I wish you luck in the next challenges you face." She told me softly. I stood up, turned around and hugged her. She may be thousands of years older than me, but she has been a big sister of sorts to me. And for that I am thankful.
The Third month was spent with Lady Mnemosyne. As the Titaness of memory she made me read hundreds of books, of course this was rather a very difficult task due to my dyslexia. But after some time she helped me improve my reading skills and eventually I began reading better after some time. It still hurts my head though. As such this month was rather boring.
The Fourth and Fifth month was with Koios and Phoebe, since they were married, I spent 2 months with them. Koios is the Titan of Foresight while Phoebe is the Titaness of Prophecy. This means that they were almost able to predict how I will answer their questions. This also means that they did not give me any challenges as they already know what the outcome will be. Instead, they introduced me to the rest of the titans in the palace such as their two children Lelantos and Leto. Both of them were kind and thanked me for having them released, Leto gave me a hug and told me that thanks to me she gets to see her children more often now. Speaking of her children, by this time I have become some sort of the youngest sibling of Apollo and Artemis. We would tease each other constantly and sometimes even get into petty fights. Then Leto would then scold us if we started going too far. They would teach me how to hunt and they tried to teach me how to shoot a bow. Well, they stopped when I managed to shoot Apollo in the leg while he was standing right behind me. How an arrow would hit a target behind the shooter is unknown to me.
The sixth month was definitely the best month. It was with Iapetus and it was spent training with him and his son Atlas. Yes, Atlas, the titan holding up the sky. But to understand how we got him out let me explain.
Me, Apollo, and Artemis went out on a hunt when we found something or rather someone that interested us. We accidentally came upon this camp that belonged to Prometheus. We carefully scanned the surrounding area before we ambushed him while he was asleep in his cave. We then captured him and brought him to Othrys. I called Iapetus and he met us outside.
"Hello Nephew, Niece, and Percy. I see you have found my long lost son." Iapetus told us. "Hey son, you never gave your old man a visit, might as well help me and your brother with something now since you are here. Percy, Apollo, Artemis follow me."
We followed him to the area where Atlas was holding up the sky, he looked at us curiously before he noticed the bounded figure of his younger brother and grinned.
"Hey son, your little brother here has come to volunteer to take your job." Iapetus told Atlas.
"Is he even qualified for release?" Artemis asked with a voice full of disdain. This is understandable since Atlas killed her oldest lieutenant and best friend, his daughter Zoë Nightshade.
"He is, although I know that he has done unfortunate things to you especially Arty, I think we would all prefer him free rather than Prometheus here." I told her.
"So Atlas, you have to swear an oath to the river Styx that you would not go against Olympus or its allies, then you can be released from your burden." I then spoke to him. "So what will it be?"
"Anything is better than holding this cursed sky for eternity, I accept your offer Perseus. I Atlas, son of Iapetus and Clymene, swear on the river Styx that I would not go against Olympus and its allies." He finished.
"Very well, Iapetus if you would kindly give Prometheus here his new job." I said laughing.
Iapetus pushed Prometheus towards Atlas. When they were about to collide with each other, Atlas fell backwards, this allowed Prometheus to suddenly be trapped under the sky and was forced to bear its weight.
"Thank you brother, it feels nice to finally stand up straight again." Atlas said smiling, stretching his back with a noticeable crack.
"Thank you as well father and Perseus, as well as you two. I am sorry for what has been done in the past Artemis, just know that I respect you for putting her in the sky as I can now see her when I want too."
With the release of Atlas, I then began training with them on the use of various weapons. Iapetus was able to help me master the techniques of a spear and a dual wield with a spear and a shield. Atlas helped me increase my endurance and speed, which allowed me to now attack and defend myself much faster and longer when it was required.
At last came the seventh month, this was easily the most challenging as Lady Theia wasn't exactly sure that I was worthy. She would make me do various tasks and have me go through different challenges.
The most difficult challenge I had to complete was when she wanted me to battle Ladon and come out victorious. You know, Ladon, the massive hundred headed dragon guarding the Golden Apple Tree in the Garden of the Hesperides, yeah him. To call it brutal would be an understatement, however it was not impossible.
After a few very long hours, I managed to defeat the dragon. The most annoying part was that Theia did not even want a golden apple from the tree and she even said that I could not get one, so I was forced to just walk away after a hard earned victory with no reward.
I returned to the palace exhausted both physically and mentally, I went to inform Lady Theia that the task was done and that I was going to rest. When I entered the council chamber, I found her sitting on her throne all alone. I went to her and bowed.
"Lady Theia, Ladon is defeated. May we call it a day so that I may rest?" I asked her.
She continues to be silent for awhile and just stared at me. I was nearly passing out from exhaustion at this point so I wanted nothing else but to go to my room and fall on my bed. As I was thinking about this, I heard her speak.
"Perseus, why are you here?" She asked me.
"To gain your favor milady, me and the Olympians need your help in the upcoming war with Tartarus." I told her, she had asked this countless times before and I always answered the exact same thing.
"So be it." She said simply.
"I'm sorry milady, but what does that mean?" I asked confused.
"It means that you have done a good job and have managed to persuade me that you are indeed worthy of the alliance of the titans." She told me, and all my exhaustion was temporarily forgotten about as I was shocked and surprised. "However, it is not over yet." She added, "You still have to get to know everyone else around here."
"Like who milady?"
"Well, you already know who Lelantos and Leto are, however you have yet to meet Menotius and Epimetheus, the other two sons of Iapetus. As well as Astraues and his mother Eurybia." She informed me.
"Very well milady, I will be sure to get to know everyone."
"Then that is all Perseus, if you would excuse me I will go rest." She told me, ending the conversation.
With that over I have now gained the complete favor of the remaining council, I guess I better tell the Olympians. But for now, I need some rest.
(End of Flashback)
"Well, that's about it." I told the hunters. "We now have the complete alliance of the Titans so that should give us some more hope that we would win this war."
"Percy is right, we would need all the help we could get and every advantage we could take, which is why we are here now. Apollo has informed the council that you and Reyna have taken the mission to hunt the monster groups that have resurfaced, as such I have volunteered to take the hunt and help you. Besides, you would need all the help you could get. If I know you well enough you would eat just about anything as much as you want so poor Reyna here would not have any dinner left because of a greedy male like you." Artemis said laughing at the last part. Of course it was intended as a joke but some of the other hunters started glaring at me.
Thalia meanwhile was silent about everything, she was most likely still processing everything that I said.
"So will you still hit me or will you finally understand that I had no choice." I asked her.
Instead of a reply she gave me a hug, however as I was enjoying the feeling of finally being reunited with one of my best friends, she pulled away and slapped me as hard as the first time.
"Owwwwwwwww." I complained while holding my already bruised cheek. "What in Uncle's name was that for?!"
"If you ever leave again I will find you and mark my words Percy Jackson, I will slap you way harder than that when I catch you." She said with a grin.
"Relax Thals I don't plan on leaving anymore." I tried to say, but my cheeks hurt so badly I had to say it slowly as to not cause any more pain that I did not deserve.
"So Reyna, you been taking care of Percy these past 2 weeks?" Thalia asked her.
"Yeah, he's been a pain sometimes but he makes himself useful when I need him to be." Reyna replied laughing.
"Glad to know that we are a team Reyna." I told her sarcastically, my cheek still hurt like hades but it was manageable.
"Well we better get some rest now because tomorrow we will start hunting the other groups." Artemis commanded.
"Oh I don't know about hunting us goddess, it seems you hunters have now become the hunted." Said an Unknown voice
The moment we heard an unfamiliar voice talk to us, all of us got into a combat circle where we had maximum view in order to find this enemy.
"Who goes there!" Thalia shouted, bow and arrow drawn.
"Your lieutenant should learn to keep her mouth shut Artemis, you would not want her to disrespect your future husband wouldn't you my love?" said this unknown figure as he slowly showed himself.
Standing there was a ten feet tall giant with bronze mechanical eyes that looked like he was wearing night vision goggles, a large black composite bow in hand and a smile that could charm many women. This was the giant Orion, who was insanely in love with Artemis.
"You filthy pig how did you come back?! Reyna killed you!" Artemis yelled, definitely enraged by the words he used.
"Well its because I love you of course." Orion said smiling.
"I WILL SEND YOU BACK DOWN TO THE PIT, THIS TIME IT WILL BE SO BAD THAT YOU WOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT COMING BACK UP HERE YOU DISGUSTING MALE."
"Within time, you will see reason and begin to love me as well. But for now, father wants me to take care of this young man here. Hello Perseus, I've come to kill you." He said sinisterly. "You can come out now."
When he said that, monsters all around us started appearing, I counted at least 150 monsters while we only had 30 hunters plus me, Artemis, and Reyna. What bothered me the most was that none of our traps sprung.
"Hunters, show them why we have never been defeated before, Reyna go and stay with Thalia, Percy you and I take down that filth." Artemis commanded all of us.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" I asked as I charged staright towards Orion with Artemis behind me. As we did this the hunters started rapidly shooting towards the monster horde.
Well this is gonna fun
AN:
Well, I don't know what to feel about this chapter.
Happy 1,500 viewers. I understand that it might not be much for some but it is a lot for me. So thank you all and I will do my best to write better. It is a very rewarding feeling opening up the site and seeing that number grow so thank you.
Chapter 8 probably in the weekend. This week my school just decided that homework was some sort of candy so they handed it out like it was nothing and told us to be finished within a few days. As such I have been working my ass off with this constant depressive state of staring at my laptop answering useless questions. So forgive me if there is a noticeable delay in updating, this pandemic has already drove me insane.
Anyway aside from that be sure to leave a question in the comments as I will try to reply to you as soon as I can.
As always leave a like and follow as it would be greatly appreiciated.