Chapter 8: Control
The Seastone Chair must never be held by one with the Blood of Titans, and you and I both know that the House of Tides is directly related to both Oceanus and Saturn.
Poseidon's Notes, page 1.
"Hey Annabeth." Percy said smiling as he met the blonde on the entrance to the cafeteria.
"Hey Percy." She said, "I saw what you did with Clarisse, I'm impressed."
"heh, thanks." Percy rubbed his neck, "Bianca gave me some pointers."
"Oh, so you've met Bianca. That's good. I'm surprised you're still alive after what happened with Nico." Annabeth said smugly.
"Yeah, she warned me not to hurt him, but Nico was there to tell her that he was alright. Although it makes me wonder, they said Clarisse was the most powerful, and I beat her, so does that make me the most powerful?" Percy wiggled his eyebrows, and Annabeth laughed.
"Not even close." She said, "You see, people here are organized into different…tiers, you would say. You have Medics, people who are not particularly powerful with offensive but are quite good with healing or otherwise their power helps others heal. You will find that most medics are either from the House of the Sun, like Will, or minor vassal houses of the House of Harvests, like the House of Satyrs and all that. They are not weak, but they focus more on ensuring the rest of us don't die. After the Medics you have normal Hunters. The rest of the people here."
"Soldiers of an Army, I get it." Percy said. He realized that they had begun to walk, and Percy found it rather amusing the way people seemed to avoid his gaze.
"If that works for you." Annabeth said, "Now, the Hunters are divided into three main ranks. Soldier Hunters, Commander Hunters, and Demigods."
"Wait, demigods?" Percy asked, "That sounds like a big jump. I was expecting something like General or something."
"We're hunters, Percy. It's not the army." Annabeth said.
"Are you sure about that?" he thought as he saw a group of kids, whom he assumed were from the House of War from the way they glared at him, jogging around the halls.
"Either way." Annabeth continued, "Soldier hunters are basically 90% of the people here. Kids too young to be in active missions but too old to hide behind the Medics. Grover, for example, is both a Medic and a Soldier hunter."
Percy nodded at that. It was hard to imagine the boy he had met in the infirmary trading blows with someone like Clarisse.
"Then you have Commander Hunters. People who are above in power from Soldier hunters, both mentally, physically, and in Enlightenment. I, for example, belong here. So do many of those considered for positions of power within their houses, including Clarisse."
"Wait, you're saying you're as powerful as Clarisse?" Percy asked.
"Wanna figure that out?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow, and Percy simply held his hands up in surrender.
"Was just wondering. You don't seem like the type to fight straight forward like Clarisse does."
"Well because I don't. My strength is not in fighting, but in planning and executing. Oh, I can handle myself, but I truly enjoy looking over plans and fabricating different solutions to carry out a mission." Annabeth said blissfully, and Percy had no doubt she was telling the truth.
"and what about Demigods. You said that most people fall under Soldier Hunters or Commander Hunters. How many Demigods does Olympus have?"
"Well, not many to be honest." Annabeth said, "You have two in Jason and Thalia, and Two more with Bianca and Nico, if your power is in Demigod Level, and I do not doubt that it is, perhaps you could be the sixth."
"Sixth?" Percy was not great in math, but he swore that would be five.
"Well…" Annabeth blushed deeply, and Percy raised an eyebrow at her strange behaviour. Was there someone who shouldn't be named or something?
"a-anyway. Then you also have the leaders of the fourteen houses, but they are on a level onto themselves. If you were to place them down, you could say that they are…Olympian level."
"Like the sports people?"
"No, dummy. Like the Olympian Gods." Percy thought for a moment, understanding the reference.
"All but one of the current Pantheon is Olympian level." Annabeth said.
"Who isn't?"
"Triton, your…uncle." Annabeth said.
Percy stopped walking for a moment, the realization hitting him. "Of course…" Chiron had mentioned that his grandfather had married the woman his father was supposed to marry out of spite. That meant that Triton, the current holder of the Seastone Chair, was his uncle.
"H-how powerful is he?" Percy asked.
"Um…a very powerful demigod at most…." Annabeth seemed to hesitate, as if that would insult Percy in some way. In reality, he felt annoyed.
"Damn…there goes that option." Percy cursed. He had hoped that people considered the current leader of his house to be stronger than him, that way he could perhaps wiggle out by claiming he had been threatened or something.
"So, where would I fall?" Percy asked.
"Well, like I said, I do not doubt your power is at Demigod level, but officially you're unknown. Every summer solstice, there's this big ceremony where Houses claim new Enlightened and make them official Hunters of Olympus. In this ceremony, you are also given a rank based on your achievements until then. For heirs its slightly different only on the fact that you aren't being claimed by a house, but rather simply being given a rank."
"So, to get a rank I need to get achievements. Like what?"
"Going on missions, for example. It's the easiest way to find out where you stand, that and the montly Wargames."
"Wargames?"
"Yup. This month was capturing the flag. Next month we will switch to a free-for-all, and so on. If you win enough, it also helps people figure out where you stand in the ranking."
"Huh, that sounds fun." Percy said.
"Yep, so we got three weeks to make sure you don't die during next month's game. Clarisse may be many things, but she doesn't give idle threats. If she sees an opportunity to hurt you, she will take it."
"You think she will come after me in the game?" Percy asked.
"I don't think so, I know so." Annabeth said, "Which is why we must begin to train. I take it from today's little spectacle with Clarisse, Bianca explained the water balloon theory?"
"Yeah she did—wait how do you know?"
Annabeth smirked.
"It was rather easy to figure out," she said, "Yesterday you lost control, today you didn't. I take it that Bianca explained to you that you cannot go around showing everyone your power, it gives you away."
"Well, she didn't exactly say that, but she did tell me to control my emotions."
"Good, that makes my job easier." She said, "Emotion is the first step to controlling the Enlightenment. The more powerful Hunters know how much is their limit, and can strain their emotions and keep them under control while drawing more and more Enlightenment. So for the first lesson for today, you're going to learn to keep your cool. Put this on."
She handed him a blindfold, and Percy hesitated while taking it.
"What are we going to do?" Percy asked.
"We?" Annabeth smirked, "Nothing. You on the other hand…"
When Percy had tied his blindfold, he felt Annabeth pushing him into a room behind her. He fell to the floor, losing his balance.
"H-hey!" Percy said. As he stood up, he heard the familiar sound of a door closing.
"Keep your cool, Percy!" he heard Annabeth's voice saying.
Something hit him in the gut, and Percy doubled over. He was about to take off the blindfold, but something hit his hand with a loud snap!
"Annabeth what the fuck!" Percy said.
"Language." Something hit him in the gut again. "Cool off Percy!"
He heard something straining behind him, and before he could move, he was doused in water. Percy began to get angry, the rush slowly taking over. Yet he forced himself to keep his cool, Annabeth was right. He needed to keep his head clear.
He felt another hit, and then another, and a third. He began to ache, trying and failing to move, the water cooling on his skin and making it incredibly hard to move in the uniform.
"How am I supposed to keep my cool when people are hitting me, Annabeth!" Percy said through gritted teeth.
"Figure it out, Percy." He heard her voice, "Didn't you listen what I said earlier?"
"What?" Percy said, and stopped himself from getting angry. What had Annabeth said?
'The more powerful Hunters know how much their limit is, and can strain their emotions and keep them under control while drawing more and more Enlightenment…' Percy thought on her exact words, "What does she mean?"
"Feel…listen…look without your eyes…" Percy heard the voice inside his head. He suddenly stopped moving, his eyes widening behind the blindfold.
"The voices are back?!" Percy panicked, temporarily losing his control and letting the rush overwhelm him for a moment. He felt lighter, more aware, he could feel the air around him. He heard a whimper near him and could feel someone close from the direction of the sound.
"You're slipping, Percy!" Annabeth said, yet Percy's over-sensitive ears could feel the slight tremor in her voice. He forced himself to calm down, the shock of hearing the voices after an entire day without them dying. The rush receded, but it was not gone.
"Are they really back?" Percy thought, panicking.
"Feel…listen…extend your senses…" It said.
"Wait is the voice…different?" Percy thought.
"Feel …extend your senses…"
Percy's eyes widened once again. The voice was different, while the voices he had heard since his mother's death were chaotic and pushed him towards the darkness, this voice seemed…eager. It was familiar too, and it sounded tense. Like an excited child. Where had he heard it before?
Percy felt another hit, this time harder. He kept moving, using his hands to find his way across the room.
"Come on, Percy, control your power." Annabeth said again.
"Claim your power…son of the sea…" Then it clicked, where he had heard the voice before. In the Arena, fighting Clarisse…the voice that begged him to stop. His mother's voice.
He began to think on what Bianca had said earlier, on how he was loud. Then on what Annabeth had said before she had pushed him.
"You cannot go showing everyone your power, it gives you away…" He thought hard on that as he kept moving. He felt more hits, and he even stumbled and fell a few times. Yet he was beginning to piece together what Annabeth wanted him to do.
"Can I…sense where others are?" Percy thought for a moment. Every time he had let the rush take him over, other people flinched, meaning that they at least could sense him, and what was it about the balloon? Hunters could draw upon that to a limit before loosing control, could he somehow sense that?
Percy stopped running, closing his eyes behind his blindfold and concentrating. He began to dig deeper into his own power, something pushing against him the deeper he went, but he kept control. He began to feel the familiar feelings of the rush, the strength, the power…his surroundings. Yes, he had felt it before, but now he saw it clearly.
Three figures, he couldn't see them, but he could somehow tell they were there, like shadows within shadows…they were quickly approaching. They held staffs; one was coming from the—
Percy tried to dodge, but the staff caught him on his arm. He cursed but concentrated on keeping his emotions under control. He saw it again, another figure running this time he was ready. The figure lifted his staff, and Percy waited for the perfect moment to dodge.
The staff fell, and Percy moved to the side. The air wooshed next to him, and he could somehow sense the surprise from the figure. He felt another attack coming, and this one he blocked. He grabbed the staff and pushed.
He heard a yelp from someone as he fell, but Percy was forced to dodge a third attack. He moved under the attack, somehow letting himself go with the flow. Dodging underneath the figure, he managed to get behind it to grab its neck.
"It's short." Percy thought as he held the figure by the neck.
"No one move." Percy said, holding his hostage tighter and felt saw the two remaining figures stiffen.
"That's enough." He heard Annabeth's voice say. Wait, was she behind him?
He felt the punch before it came, seeing in slow motion the hand, but for some reason he didn't understand he wasn't able to move and it hit him solidly in the nose.
Percy let go of his hostage, immediately falling to the ground and grabbing his nose. Tears beginning to fall from his eyes.
"That was for endangering them." Annabeth said.
"W-what?" Percy said from the ground.
"Take off your blindfold." Percy did so, and his mouth fell open at what he saw.
"T-they're kids!" he said, noticing the three figures that were standing awkwardly behind Annabeth. They looked to be around ten years old, two boys and one girl. One of the boys rubbed his neck where Percy had held him, while the girl rubbed her arm from where she had fallen when Percy had pushed her.
"and?" Annabeth said, an eyebrow raised. "Your task was to learn to control your emotions. Not to hurt them. Although I must say, I had hoped that maybe you would have begun to realize that it is possible to feel someone's aura but I didn't expect you to pick it up quickly. You're smarter than you look."
"Oh than—Hey." He scowled.
"As for you three." She turned towards the three kids, "Next time I catch you sneaking into Percy's room I will leave you in a room with him and he will not be blindfolded. Clear?"
"Y-yes Miss Annabeth." They said, eyes wide.
"Scram!" she said, and the kids rushed out of the room.
"What was that about?" Percy asked, standing up and rubbing his nose. Hells, he was uncomfortable with his wet clothes.
"Caught them sneaking into your room before breakfast finished." She said, "apparently Clarisse threatened to drill them hard if they didn't go into your room and steal something, a book I think it was."
"a book?" Percy said questioningly. He didn't remember owning any book. Unless…
"Uh, small, brown notebook?" Percy asked.
"I think so. Mind telling me what's inside?" Annabeth said.
"Don't know. It's not mine, it came with the room."
"Huh." Annabeth said. "Either way, I told them that as punishment they could come here and help me. When I explained that they needed to hit you while blindfolded, they jumped at the opportunity. I think Clarisse brainwashed them into hating you. I was counting that you'd lose your cool and frighten them, and I would need to stop the exercise, but I think this way was better. Good job on figuring out how to read auras." Annabeth smiled, and Percy smiled back.
"Thanks." Percy said, "By the way, do you have extra clothes? It is really uncomfortable to be in a wet uniform."
"Oh, you thought the lesson was done?" Annabeth smirked, "Nope, I told you. You need to learn to control your emotions. You're doing a good job, but you will never fully conquer your emotions until you drive them to the edge."
Percy began to feel apprehensive, until Annabeth opened the door and his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. The hallways were packed with several dozen people.
"I'm sure you'll like to reach your room quickly." Annabeth teased, "Classes almost start, so I suggest you get going. Go to classroom 302, Chiron's teaching strategy today. "
She pushed him out of the room, and when people saw him soaked from head to toe, they began to snigger and smirk.
"I wonder if they will miss her if she disappears…" he thought in annoyingness as he walked slowly, then quicker, through the packed hallways. People stared openly at him, some laughing, some confused. It really began to grate on Percy's nerves.
Eventually he reached his hallway, and quickly made his way towards his room.
He entered the room and began to undress, reaching for a clean uniform from his closet. He really needed to get more clothes.
As he was tying his orange tie, he noticed the notebook that the kids had been looking for. Frowning, Percy approached it and opened the first page.
"I do not know why I write this," The first line said, "But I guess no one knows why we do things until they are done. Ironic that. Nevertheless, whoever finds this, and I hope is someone who can use it well, I have tried to document every single one of my discoveries in hopes to find the answer to the Great Prophecy.
I am not stupid, I see the way Athena looks at me. That sly owl pretends to know more than she actually does, but in this case there's not much I can do. She has been working on it for years now, and if the stares, glares and spiteful comments she gives me are anything to go by, I am quite certain that the Prophecy involves me somehow.
Either way, I will try and document all important events here. Perhaps it will help me shed light onto that which has bothered me so much. Something is out there that shouldn't be, something terrifying, dangerous. It is no coincidence at all that the Prophecy mentions the Titans. They were never completely gone, after all. Their ideology remains in their underground supporters, and it is no secret we are seeing an increase of activity in the Monster groups. The Empousai allying with the Cyclops, the Furies running away from Hades to god knows where, even Thorne is missing. That last one worries me. Wherever he and his legion of muppets have gone he's hiding well, not even Artemis can track him down.
Either way, I hope that whatever it is that's happening out there can be avoided without much bloodshed. For now, I only have one piece of the great puzzle, and its tied to Amphitrite. So, dear old dad, if you read this, put your anger aside for a single moment, and pay attention.
Amphitrite is a great woman, but she's not for me. I do not wish to marry her for two reasons. One, I love another, and I have already given her my vow that I shall never turn my back on her. And even if I did, there's a second reason why I cannot marry her.
The Seastone Chair must never be held by one with the Blood of Titans, and you and I both know that the House of Tides is directly related to both Oceanus and Saturn. Please heed this warning, the Seastone Chair must never be held by one with the Blood of Titans. It is the first step towards disaster, and you must avoid it at all cost. If it means to abandon our place in the Pantheon, so be it. But I will not be responsible for the deaths of thousands merely because of your grudges.
I will leave this here then, and I will try to write more on the next pages. In the worst case that I fail to decipher this problem, I beg whoever is reading this to deliver this notebook to Athena. Perhaps she will be able to make sense of my ramblings.
Poseidon, Heir to the House of Seas, Hunter Rank Demigod.
Percy stared at the book eyes wide.
"W-what is this?" Percy asked no one, "Prophecies, Titans…what?"
"Percy?" he heard a knock on the door, recognizing it as Nico. "Hey, Annabeth wanted me to tell you that class is about to start. Come out, I'm not a damn babysitter."
"C-coming." Percy said. He was about to leave, but then he remembered that Clarisse was looking for this specific book. Although he couldn't understand why she was looking for it, Percy thought that for now the safest place would be with him. He pocketed it on the inside of his jacket and made his way to the door.
He opened it to reveal a very annoyed looking Nico.
"Finally," he said, "I thought I would have to break in there and get you out. What were you doing in there? And why are you so pale? See a ghost or something? Giving love to the bone?" Nico asked.
"Uh, no. I mean…let's just go." Percy said, not trusting his voice at the moment.
"Whatever you say, class starts in two minutes so we better hurry."
Percy and Nico hurried through the halls, but Percy's excitement at the rest of the day was squandered by a growing feeling of unease.
His father had mentioned something about a great prophecy, he had discovered something that he claimed was dangerous. He was still angry at him, furious even for abandoning his mother and him, but what if something else had happened? What if his father had left not because he wanted to, but because he had no choice? What would that mean for Percy?
He swallowed hard. He knew what that would mean. All those times he had fought with his mother about how their father had abandoned them, all those times he had lashed out in anger…it was unjustified. It would mean his mother had known his father would leave it would mean…
Percy stopped walking, growing pale.
"Percy?" Nico asked, "Alright there?"
Percy stood frozen for a moment, his breathing growing harder. He thought hard to the lesson with Annabeth, however, and managed to keep his emotions under control.
"Y-yeah." Percy said, walking again.
Nico shrugged, and led them to a room. Percy could feel the excitement, and he saw Chiron in front of the group of students sending him a smile. Percy tried to smile back, but it came out as a grimace.
How could Percy smile, after all? He had done horrible things while angry at his father, but if his father had not abandoned them it meant that he had done those things on his own. Yes, how could a man like Percy smile after all he had done? No. Percy couldn't smile. Not after what he realized, not after what he had done.
Not after he had killed his mother.
Hola!
Another week, another two chapters. There are only 2 chapters left of Part I, so next week will be the end of Part I: Home Away from Hell and then the next three weeks will see the publication of 3 interludes. Part II: To be Hunter, to be Prey is not going as quick as I wanted to, but now with all my exams finished and university over for this year I will have much more time to sit down and work on this story.
The topic of this weeks little Author Discussion is mostly on ships. I have hopes that this story, the entire series (trilogy) will end up with a Percabeth couple, however there is a looooooooong way to go before we even begin to see the first true interactions towards that pathway. As such, I will disclose now that the ship of this book is Percy/Bianca, and will continue to be so until a substantial change occurs. But more on that in...100k words in the future.
On the other hand, I'm trying to replicate a realistic approach to romance while also not going to deep into it since I am not good in writing romance. There will be no 'explicit' scenes cuz I don't feel comfortable writing that, instead there will be implications in the dialogue or narration of what's happening, and let your minds explore the possibilities. Also, I don't think i'll change any of the implied sexualities or pairs from the books, I just won't introduce all the characters in this book.
Anyways, someone said that the story resembled Deadly Class, and yes my friend, it does because I took inspiration from that series to write this. In fact, I started writing this story just as I finished Deadly Class, so...congrats. Have a cookie.
I think that's it for this week. Keep those comments and likes coming, tell me what you like, don't like, what you want to see, and that. Love each other, treat each other with respect, and as always, happy reading.
~CallMeLatino