A/N
Sorry about the long wait for the chapter, work has gotten super hectic lately and I didn't really have time to work on the story. My update schedule may slow down a little bit, but I promise you I am and will still be working on the story.
In other news, I have decided to close the polling for the last pairing as frankly there is already a run away victor! Hestia will become the final pairing, which really I should have seen since Hestia is bestia, and everyone loves seeing it, even me. So that means this will be a PercyxHestiaxHeraxArtemis fic! Or rather Percy x harem?
I own nothing, Percy Jackson is owned by Rick Riordan!
Chapter 9
The big house was silent despite the thunderstorm that was raging outside the barriers of the camp. Although the barriers protected the camp itself from the lashing rain, fierce winds, and lightning strikes, the sheer power and suddenness of the storm gave a pretty good indication of the reasoning behind it that was lost on no one. Zeus was pissed. The reason for his anger due to a revelation about one of the campers now sitting across from Chiron and Dionysus in the big house, head in his hands. Poor Percy was hoping that maybe his dad would turn out to be a deadbeat and keep him under the radar for as long as possible, but of course he would go ahead and do this as soon as he starts getting into the swing of things at camp.
Chiron shuffled as Mr. D cleared his throat, "Well, isn't this a surprise. I should've known there was something special about you, Perseus, but I figured you would just be another brat, albeit a little bit interesting of a brat. Still, I certainly wasn't expecting you to be a brat of the sea of all things! You sure have dear old dad stewing in anger up there, just listen to that thunder!" His words were accentuated with a peal of thunder, as if Zeus was specifically agreeing with his son.
Chiron decided to chime in, "Yes, a surprise indeed, but I figured you were a powerful demigod once Grover reported that Alecto was watching you, but I didn't expect this. You may not be aware of this, Perseus, but you shouldn't exist."
"Gee, thanks Chiron, real nice." Percy remarked as he scowled. Now Zeus was going to be on his ass, and he wasn't nearly ready to defend himself. He had only had a couple of days in camp to train, and he wasn't so foolish to think he could defend himself if Zeus decided to take him out just now. With how angry he is currently, though, it was a little confusing as to why he had yet to do so.
Chiron sighed, "Not like that, Perseus. You may not be aware, but after WWII the big three created a pact. You see, their children were the main instigators of the conflict, and after the destruction caused by them and the countless deaths, Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon decided to create a pact to have no more children to avoid the destruction again. You are a direct violation of the pact on the part of Lord Poseidon, and thus shouldn't really exist since he took an oath to have no more children." Chiron explained.
Dionysus chimed in, "Oh but don't feel too bad about it, dear old dad was the first to break the pact, not too long ago, too!" Another peal of thunder shook the house as Mr. D said that, and he rolled his eyes. "Yes well it is true isn't it? Still, on its own just being a kid of old barnacle beard might not net you a breakfast of thunderbolts, but there is another reason for dad's anger that might be a little less beneficial to your health."
Chiron picked up from Mr. D, "Yes, unfortunately you're arrival to camp coincides too closely with a theft that has occurred. You see, last winter solstice during the meeting of the gods, Zeus' master bolt was stolen from his possession. We do not know how or who has taken it, but he seems to believe that you are the one responsible." Chiron and Dionysus leaned in, quirking an eyebrow at him as Percy's mouth dropped. Wait, what? He knew that the bolt had been stolen, he had been told this much by Alecto, but they thought that he has done it? He wasn't even aware of this world a month ago!
"Wait, wait, wait. Back up. You think that I stole the bolt? How would I have possibly done that, I only found out I was a demigod this month! Why would he possibly suspect me, that makes no sense!" Percy exclaimed.
Dionysus summoned a can of diet coke and cracked it open, "Yes, well unfortunately for you it seems that he is entirely convinced of this." he explained. "Father believes that in a bid to usurp his throne, old barnacle beard sent you, his undeclared son, to steal the bolt when the festivities of the winter solstice were concluding. You see, Perry, gods have to follow some specific rules in the world, you know the usual: don't fight with mortals unless challenged, limit affairs in the mortal world, yadda yadda, but one of the biggest rules is that no god is allowed to touch or steal another's symbol of power. "
"Yes, a god's symbol of power is sacred, and stores a large quantity of their power inside, so the ancient laws forbid a god from stealing another's symbol. However, there is a workaround with demigods. Demigods are the bridge between the mortal world and the mythological, and are not restricted whatsoever by the ancient laws. They can do anything and go anywhere, and if they were so inclined could even steal a symbol of power, given they are even able to get near it. Zeus believes Poseidon used you to steal his symbol of power, Perseus." Chiron explained.
Percy rubbed his head, this was getting way too complicated. First the pact, now Zeus believed he stole his bolt, and Hades thinks he has his helm! Not to mention this damn prophecy hanging over his head! He was doomed, he could feel it. He looked up at Chiron, "All I can tell you is I didn't do it, I have never even seen the damn thing. I don't even know where Olympus is."
"600th floor of the Empire State Building in New York. Don't worry Perseus, I believe you, not even the stupidest among demigods would be willing to nab old pop's bolt. It is a bit odd how strong you are already, but it seems you may have a bad case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Dionysus finished his coke and tossed the can, "Now I have to be off, make sure to do the usual Chiron. A word of advice, Perry, leave camp as soon as you can. Pop's is calling me up to Olympus and I have no doubt he will order me to kill you when I get back to camp. I'd hate to lose the only interesting demigod I have seen at this wretched camp so far, but orders are orders." With that Dionysus departed in a flash of purple light, leaving behind the smell of freshly pressed grapes.
Percy turned to Chiron, a little paler than before, "What did he mean by 'do the usual'?" He asked.
Chiron looked at him and lightly smiled, "Usually, claiming's are cause for celebration and not a point of conflict like right now. To celebrate when a new camper is claimed, it is customary that a quest be given as soon as possible after the claiming. This time will be no different, though you should probably heed Mr. D's advice and leave for your quest as soon as you can. Follow me."
Chiron turned around and trotted through the halls of the big house, Percy getting up to follow behind. They walked upstairs until they came to a portion of the hallway that had a pullstring hanging down from a hatch on the ceiling. "This here is the attic." Chiron explained as he reached for the spring, pulling it and allowing for the hatch to open up and a ladder to extend down. "Up you go, get your quest and make sure to remember exactly what she says!"
Confused, Percy turned and climbed up the ladder, poking his head into the musty interior of the attic. There was an abundance of dust, as no one seemed to come up here very often. Looking around the room he could see plenty of odd knickknacks and junk sitting around, illuminated by the light trickling in through the window. There seemed to be banners and clothes, swords and horns, all kinds of unusual stuff that he had never seen before. However, none of that caught his attention as his eyes zeroed in to what seemed to be an actual mummified corpse just casually sitting in a chair. He heard the hatch behind him slam closed on its own, and the mummy slowly cracked it's head towards him and looked straight at him.
A green mist poured out of the mummy's mouth as a voice resonated inside his head: I am the spirit of the Oracle of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.
Freaky! Percy figured that this is what Chiron meant when he said to go get a prophecy, but did it have to be this damn weird! He had heard about the oracle before in Chiron's class, but he hadn't mentioned that the thing was a gas-spewing mummy.
"Uh, what am I supposed to do?" What, what else was he supposed to say?
The green mist thickened and swirled around him, and soon the form of his mother emerged out of the mist and circled him. Before he could get over his surprise at the appearance, his mother started speaking, but in the voice of the oracle.
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned
The mist rippled, and the form changed from his lovely mother to the bastard walrus of a man, Gabe Ugliano.
You will find what was stolen, and see it safely returned
The mist rippled again, changing from Gabe and turning into the form of Dionysus, still wearing his Hawaiian shirt, but a definite upgrade over Gabe to be sure, though.
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend
Percy watched as the mist changed once more, turning into a young girl Percy could easily recognize anywhere. Hestia walked around him, smiling, but yet again speaking in the old voice of the oracle.
And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end.
As the last word was spoken, the mist receded back into the mouth of the oracle slamming shut once it had returned. The attic darkened a little more, returning to normal, as Percy sat there staring at the still form of the oracle. Was that it?
Ping!
New quest added!
Retrieve Zeus' Master Bolt before the Solstice!
Rewards:
+50,000 EXP
+$1,200,000
+D10,000
+New Title
+?
+?
+?
+?
+?
Failure:
Death, Destruction of the World
Quest Auto-Accepted
Great. He had to admit, that prophecy didn't sound too great if he was honest. A god has turned? He is going to be betrayed? What could he possibly fail to save? Even though three of the lines were foreboding, he could at least take solace that he would in fact find what he was looking for, if the prophecy was anything to go by. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he turned around and opened the hatch and climbed out of the attic. Seeing that Chiron was not in the hallway, he wandered back downstairs to the front room, seeing Chiron sitting in his chair, reading.
Chiron looked up from his book as he heard Percy enter, "Ah, Perseus, my boy, take a seat. How was it? Everyone has a different reaction upon their first time meeting the oracle. Oh, and I do hope you remembered the lines of the prophecy."
Percy sat down, "Freaky, I wasn't expecting a mummy that spit mist everywhere, or the shapes of people I know to walk out of that mist. And yes, I do remember them, kind of hard to forget after that show."
"Oh, good! Would you mind repeating what the oracle said? Prophecies are tricky things, and I have found that it usually helps quest-goers on their journey if we discuss what the prophecy could possibly mean beforehand." Chiron explained. Percy acquiesced, repeating the lines of the prophecy that the oracle had just told him. Chiron had a thoughtful look on his face that turned into a frown.
Chiron rubbed his chin, "Hmm, seems like the quest may be somewhat straightforward in outlining if you will accomplish your goals, especially if that second verse is to go by anything. We can at least take solace in the fact that you will most likely find the lightning bolt, however those other lines are a bit worrying. Fail to save what matters most? Hmm, that is too broad of a statement, plenty of things could be argued to matter the most, its all subjective. Betrayal by a friend, huh? Never like hearing anything along those lines. The most worrying verse for me, though, is the first verse, Perseus."
"Sir?" Percy asked.
"You shall travel west to face the god who has turned. Your arrival has been bothering me for a while, Perseus. Mainly, the death of your mother. You see, when monsters or immortals die, they turn into a fine golden powder, and when humans or demigods die, they fall to the ground like normal. Your mothers remains were nowhere to be found, and from what you told us, the minotaur squeezed her and she vanished in a flash of gold. I have a feeling, Perseus, that she isn't dead at all."
What? He saw his mom die right in front of him, what is Chiron going on about! But… did she? Thinking on it more, he didn't actually see any dust fall like usual when he killed something, only an item. Could Chiron actually be right? If that was so, then…
"Think Perseus, the prophecy confirms that a god has turned, and there has been a god after you since Yancy. A monster watching you in the school, the Minotaur appearing when I know very well he was kept locked up in Tartarus; who would have something to gain by targeting you, a son of Poseidon that is a violation of a certain oath, who is now being blamed for the theft of the bolt. The theft has put both Zeus and Poseidon at each others throats, and there is only one god who would benefit from such an action. Hades, Ruler of the Underworld"
Hades? That would make sense, but…. Alecto told him that Hades was also missing his symbol of power. Sure he was suspicious about him being a son of Poseidon, but he wasn't totally sure and Alecto has assured him that he is still in the dark about it. He probably only just found out since his dad claimed him. But… could he have still taken his mother? He was still suspicious of his heritage, and he might have taken his mother as a bargaining chip if he turned out to be right.
"This is also corroborated by the fact that Hades home, the Underworld, is currently residing in Los Angeles, the largest city in the Western United States. I think it is clear what you must do. You must gather two other quest-mates and journey to Los Angeles to confront Hades in the Underworld, and you must go quickly! The summer solstice is coming up, and no doubt Zeus will use the meeting to call for your head and war with your father if you do not return the bolt to him by then!" Chiron concluded.
This was getting real heavy, why did he have to get mixed up in all of this? "Why do I need two more quest-mates? Also, am I going to be getting any supplies, because going across the entirety of the United States isn't a cakewalk." Of course he had like $70k in his inventory but why should he be the one spending his money?
"Of course, we will have supplies waiting over by Thalia's tree and Argus will take you to NYC, but after that it is up to you. You will choose two quest-mates because three is the luckiest number in Greek mythology, just trust me on this. Who will you choose?" Chiron asked.
Percy thought on it, if he was going to be facing off against a damn god then he would need to have some pretty good allies on his side. He was thinking about taking Grover, but to be honest he may be more of a liability if they do actually have to fight Hades since he is such a scaredy cat. He also needed a plan for this quest; he couldn't just rush in headlong and hope for the best. "I think I got it. I would like to take Annabeth and Clarisse with me on this quest. Annabeth would be great for planning as a daughter of Athena, and Clarisse is one heck of a fighter."
Chiron nodded, agreeing with his choices. "Good choices indeed, both should bring something very useful to the table. I am assuming you accept, Annabeth?" Chiron asked to the air.
Suddenly, the air to Percy's left shimmered and Annabeth appeared, holding a baseball cap in her hand. "You bet, I was about to jump in and volunteer but looks like I didn't need to." She turned to Percy, "Meet you at Thalia's tree in half an hour!" With that she rushed out of the big house, leaving a confused Percy and a bemused Chiron in her wake.
Chiron looked over to Percy, "Annabeth has been waiting a very long time to get a chance to prove herself on a quest, Perseus. If you hadn't of chosen her I am sure she would have jumped in and, uh, 'offered' her services for the quest. Either way, she is a very good choice with both her experience and tactical ability. I must say, though, I am a little surprised at the choice for Clarisse."
Percy quirked his eyebrow at that, "Why?"
Chiron was quick to put his hands up, "Not in a bad way my boy, just that the Ares children are usually seldom chosen for quests despite their physical and combat prowess. Most campers don't get along with their brash personality's, with the exception of the Hephaestus campers, ironically, so it is a nice change of pace to see some more intra-camp cooperation going on. Honestly I was a little worried that they were starting to become the black sheep in camp, but seeing you getting along with them is refreshing. Now, you should go and tell Clarisse that she was chosen for the quest so that you two can prepare and pack. Be sure to pack a lot, you may be gone for a while and you never know what you might need. Argus will have the van ready by Thalia's tree in 30 minutes." Chiron explained as he was ushering Percy out of the house.
Percy waved goodbye to Chiron as he ran into camp to find Clarisse, eventually spotting her as she was walking to the dining pavilion to get an early dinner.
"Clarisse!" he called out, catching her attention as she smirked and waved at him.
"Percy! Excited you've been claimed? Don't go and get a big head now, even if you are a kid of one of the big three, you haven't beaten me in a duel yet. Well, a proper one at least." mumbling the last part, she looked at him as he walked up. "So, what's up?"
"Don't worry I won't, and I'm sure we will be sparring a bunch more in the future, but at any rate, I wanted to tell you that I got a quest for 3 people from the Oracle just now, and I wanted to tell you I chose you to come. So, you in?" He asked, silently enjoying the gobsmacked look on her face as he told her.
"Wait, what! You got a quest, when are you leaving? What are you doing?" She paused for a second, and Percy could practically see the gears turning in her head. Suddenly her eyes widened a fraction more, "Wait, did you say you wanted me to come along! On a quest!"
"Yeah, but if you don't want to go that's cool, I can see about finding another person. Luke may want to go…"
He didn't get to finish before Clarisse lunged at him, lifting him up by his collar. "No! That damn kid is chosen for quests so often it's unfair, you should see that amount of beads on his bracelet!" She set him down, before grinning at him. "I'm definitely in, Percy, just give me a sec to pack and I'll be out. So what's the quest about?" She asked.
Percy waved her off, "I'll tell you when we meet up with Annabeth over at Thalia's tree in 30 minutes so I don't have to say it twice. I'll see you there!" He called as he ran off towards the Hermes cabin to pack himself. However when he entered, he found that none of his stuff was in his usual spot. He was worried for a second before one of the Hermes campers walked in.
"Oh, Percy, I thought you'd be over in your new cabin by now. They already moved your stuff over in case you weren't aware."
Thanking the boy for his help, he rushed over to the Poseidon cabin, hoping that it wasn't the Hermes campers who moved his stuff. After all, they have sticky fingers. He should probably check to make sure his stuff is all there.
Opening the door to the Poseidon cabin, he was immediately assaulted with the smell of sea breeze and ocean spray, reminding him immensely of Montauk. The cabin was a nice shade of bluish-green, like seawater, and had beautiful motifs of waves and beaches along the walls. The floors looked like the wood on a pier, and were comforting to stand on. He could hear the gentle sounds of waves lapping on the shore, and immediately felt at home, more so than he had ever felt before.
Finding his stuff on one of the beds, he was relieved to find that nothing had been 'borrowed', and that all of his belongings were still in his possession. Packing some clothes and some toiletries in a duffel bag, Percy zipped it up and turned to head out to the tree to meet with his fellow questers. As soon as he turned, however, he had to stop himself from running into someone that had appeared behind him. He would have freaked out since he was the only person here 30 seconds ago, had it not been for the overwhelmingly homely and calm aura coming off of the small girl in front of him.
He smiled in greeting, "Hestia, I wasn't sure if I was going to see you! Have you come to see me off-oof!" He grunted in surprise as Hestia suddenly rushed forward and gave him a fierce hug. GOD this girl had a grip! He managed to recover and return the hug however, confused about the sudden reaction.
"Hestia, you ok?" he asked. She pressed a little deeper into him, before looking up at him. He gasped as he saw her eyes, the usual dancing flames dull and shiny as she looked up at him. What was wrong?
"Percy…Please, be safe on this quest. I just got the details from Apollo, I didn't think something like this would fall on you so quick! Just…be safe, ok? For me?" She begged, looking like she was on the verge of tears. Percy had no idea where this was all coming from, why she was so sad.
"Of course I'll come back safe. What's wrong?" He asked.
She was silent for a moment, before he barely heard her respond "I just…don't want to lose my first friend." Now it makes more sense, and Percy felt terrible being reminded of how alone she had been forever. No-one treated her like a person, a friend, they all just used her when they needed her and then disappeared until they needed her again. She had told him that she was the person to vent too on Olympus, and with all she had been through in the past she didn't head down into the mortal world very often.
"Hey, don't you worry, I'll be back quicker than you know. I'm not going anywhere any time soon." He said, trying to ease her worries.
That seemed to calm her down, as she collected herself a lot better before finally releasing the hug. "You better, or even the afterlife won't save you from my wrath!" She pouted cutely, and Percy couldn't help but laugh. Hestia smirked as well, before smiling at him and enveloping him in a hug one last time.
Once they separated, she checked over his belongings to make sure he had everything he could possibly need. Frowning at the sparse equipment he had, she snapped her fingers and a canteen of nectar as well as some ambrosia squares appeared. She placed them in his duffle bag, before turning to him. "Just in case. Well, I guess you should get going on your quest then. And… just promise me you'll be safe." She asked.
He smiled at his friend, "Of course, I'll try my best, don't worry!" he told her. Hestia came in for one more hug, refusing to let go before begrudgingly separating after a minute. Percy smiled at her and bid her goodvye one more time before he rushed out of the Poseidon cabin and trekked up the hill. He found Clarisse and Annabeth already standing under Thalia's tree with their bags, as well as Argus and the van.
"Percy, there you are! So what's the deal with the quest, huh? Owl girl over here said she didn't catch much when she was snooping on you and Chiron, so spill the deets." Clarisse asked. She was leaning against Thalia's tree with her arms crossed while Annebeth was sitting on her bag, both turning their attention on Percy as soon as he showed up.
Percy smiled, and launched into his explanation of the prophecy and on what Chiron and he had figured out they needed to do on the quest. The looks on their faces as he was explaining the quest didn't put his worries at ease, as the more he explained the worse the expressions on their faces looked. Once he had finished his explanation, he looked over to see Annabeth a few lighter shades of color and Clarisse with a troubled expression on her face, but as soon as she saw him staring she schooled her expression and attempted to put on a confident face.
Clarisse started, "Uh, wow. That's a heavy quest you just roped us into, Percy, but I think we should be fine. I think. We just have to journey across the country and into the underworld to confront one of the big three, no biggie."
Annabeth shifted uncomfortably, but perked up. "Oh, but we will at the least find what we are looking for if that second verse is anything to go by! Those last two lines aren't very promising though, as well as the fact we need to face a god. We just need to play this smart, and we should all come out of this fine. Right, Clarisse?" Annabeth snarked. Clarisse rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."
Annabeth turned to Percy, "Anyways, I think our first move should be to head into the city and secure transport across the country. I would say we could fly, but given that Poseidon and Zeus aren't on the best of terms, that may not be the best idea for your health, so we need to stick with ground transportation. The camp has given us $150, so we should be able to get a bus from New York to hopefully Chicago or even Des Moines or Omaha, but chances are the Greyhound will cost too much. After we arrive in Chicago we will consider our options, but we have about two weeks before the summer solstice, so we at least have time. What do you think?" She asked.
Percy looked over to Clarisse who shrugged, and back to Annabeth. "Sounds good, bus should be cheaper, so we will just have to figure out money on the way there." Percy figured he should keep the money he has hidden for now, he didn't need to go wasting it on anything frivolous at the moment in case an emergency popped up. He would just pay for transportation once they get to Chicago.
"In any case, we should get going sooner than later, don't want to risk anything." Percy remarked. His questmates responded in the affirmative, and they all stood up and trekked over to the van. Argus opened the trunk for them, and they piled all their equipment in. Before Percy could enter the van, he heard the sound of galloping coming closer and looked out to see Chiron approaching.
"Perseus, good that I was able to catch you before you left! I just wanted to wish you and your fellow questers luck on this quest, and to give you this." Chiron held out his hand and placed something into Percy's. Looking down, Percy recognized the golden necklace with some small seashell charms on it currently sitting in his hand. It was his mothers favorite after all.
"We found it the night after you arrived, and we assumed it was your mother's. I wanted to give it back t you, to serve as a good luck charm and hope that Hades indeed took your mother as a bargaining chip, and that she is still alive." Chiron explained. Percy smiled and thanked Chiron, pocketing the chain in his inventory so he could return it to his mother, something personal to fight for.
"Percy!" Percy turned to see Luke running up the hill as well, carrying a box in his arms. "I got something for you, hopefully it will help on your quest!" Handing the box to him, Percy opened it to see a pair of sneakers that looked to have wings on the side of them.
"These were a gift from my father, they should be especially useful for getting around. These will help you fly, you just need to use the trigger phrase. Maia!" As soon as he said it, the sneakers sputtered to life and rose out of the box, flapping their wings. Before they could fly away, Luke shouted again and the sneakers deactivated, falling in the box.
"Thanks Luke! You sure you want to give me these, they were a gift from your dad after all?" Percy asked. Luke twitched a bit, but gave Percy a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. Just come back from your quest!" With those parting words, Luke rushed back down into camp, and Percy watched him go before placing the shoes in the trunk. He bid Chiron farewell, and piled into the van with the others to head out for NYC.
Arriving at the bus terminal in the city, the questers filed out of the van with Argus retrieving their stuff from the back and placing their equipment on the curb. "Thanks Argus, have a safe trip back to camp!" Percy called out. Argus stilled, turned to him and nodded, then got into the driver's seat and took off. Hmm, man of few words.
Percy looked around the street where the bus terminal was, relishing being back in the city. Sure, the camp was nice, but he always loved the city, it was where he grew up after all. Suddenly a feeling like an itch in the back of his mind was warning him of something, so he decided to turn on observe to scan the area to see if there were enemies nearby. They didn't need to get in a fight so soon, it would be pretty disastrous if they couldn't even get out of the city without an attack. As he was passing over a few market stalls set up across the street, his eyes steadied on three old women knitting, specifically what their description said.
The Fates
?
Hearing Annabeth say something about going into the bus station to grab a couple of tickets, he nodded absentmindedly as he made his way across the street. As he approached, he saw them knitting what seemed to be a massive sock, oddly enough, one much too large for anyone to wear other than using it as a sleeping bag. When he stopped in front of them, he watched them for a few moments, none of them paying him any mind. Suddenly, a thought struck him.
"You are the ones who gave me this power, aren't you? How it just showed up a couple weeks ago and how observe seemingly doesn't work on you but to identify you. I also highly doubt you show up to questers that have a prophecy hanging over them, am I right?" He asked. The three women stopped their knitting before resuming as if he had said nothing at all. The one on the left rose her head, staring at him before speaking.
"My, at least he isn't a dumb one, eh Lachesis?" The first one asked. The second one looked up without stopping her knitting, "Of course he isn't, Clotho, did you not read the thread? Though I do have to say he did catch on pretty quick, and here I was hoping that we could have some fun and do a guessing game about the power."
The third one looked up from her work, "Perseus Achilles Jackson, son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson. You are indeed correct that we have given you the Power of the Gamer." The first fate scoffed at the third one, "Oh chill out, Atropos, no need to go all Oracle on him."
Percy held up his hands in confusion, "So you did? Why? I don't understand why I would be given this power, so far it has been kind of crucial for me, and I imagine it just gets stronger as it goes, but still, why?"
"You are indeed correct that it will get stronger as you progress. In fact there is not much of a limit cap on things you can learn with this power, all avenues are open to you. You will be able to progress quicker in all fields than anyone normally would be able to, and will keep all of your progress without regressing at all. You can gather power to possibly even challenge gods one day, though that will probably be a little too soon for that." Atropos remarked.
Before Percy could even fully process the magnitude of what she said, Clotho chimed in. "Yes, but that isn't even the greatest boon of this power. You have something that gods, titans, and mortals alike would kill for if they knew it was a possibility. To succeed, we needed to ensure that there was a, how do you say, margin of error with quests and everything you would do. We had to give you something that no one else has ever had before, an exemption." She finished. Percy was confused, an exemption? What did that mean.
"Yes, an exemption. Specifically an exemption from us. Perseus, you are the only being in the universe that is exempt from the hands of fate." To punctuate her statement, Lachesis pulled a string out of her robe. It glowed in a soft blue light, looked utterly beautiful, and drew Percy in in a way he could not explain. "This string has already been wove into the tapestry of life, but it sits on an ever-changing course. It is the only string within the tapestry that moves, and shifts the tapestry with it, under our supervision of course. Meaning, while we may have taken your fate out of our hands, we should still be able to correct the fates of others that your string shifts. I imagine we will have to put in quite a bit of work to manage these changes, but it is what it is."
As she finished, the magnitude of what she said fell over him. From what they were telling him, most people's actions and their consequences were dictated by fate, yet he could break the mold whenever he wanted to! This certainly was a great boon, to take fate out of their hands and put it into his, specifically his own fate? He was free to do anything, make or break prophecies! But why, why do something of this magnitude?
"You still haven't explained why you would do this, why give me this power?" He asked. Then a thought struck him, of what he and Alecto discussed at Montauk. "The Great Prophecy! Is that why?"
The fates smiled at his answer, "You do know how to ask the right questions, don't you? Indeed, the waters of fate were…murky when it concerned the great prophecy. I do not need to tell you that it was a very open ended one, and suffice to say life under the gods is astronomically better than life under the titans. You must ensure that the game of life gets the good ending, so to speak, and to see if we could stack the card in your favor, we have granted you this power. Please use it well." Clotho said.
They held up the sock they were knitting, and it disappeared from their hands. The fates stood up, grasping each others shoulders. "Oh and Perseus? Good luck on your quests." With those words the fates disappeared as if they were never there. Percy then heard Annabeth calling for him across the road. Sending one last look to the spot the fates occupied and weighing what they told him, he turned back to his fellow questers and jogged back across the road.
"What were you doing over there, looking at knick knacks?" Annabeth asked. Percy looked back over, then turned to her. "Nothing, just curious. You got the tickets?"
Annabeth smiled and held up three tickets for a Greyhound trip to Chicago with stops in Columbus and Indianapolis. "Yep, good thing we left camp when we did, next bus leaves in like 15 minutes. Let's get everything and get on, we can't afford to miss it!" Percy resisted the urge to say they could with his $85k, and gathered up his things. Following Clarisse onto the bus, they took up a couple of spots near the back, settling in for a long ride.
Percy yawned as they entered the City of Columbus, stretching the sleep out of his tired muscles. He decided to take a nap to alleviate the boredom of taking the bus across three states, and he was ready to get off and get something real to eat before they make the rest of the trip. Luckily for him, fast food places seemed to crowd the block the bus stop was on, and since they had a 30 minute layover it should be plenty of time to get something to eat.
20 minutes later found Annabeth, Clarisse, and Percy chowing down on the remnants of their late lunches, before the three questers rushed to get back on the bus before it left. Sitting down in the back, the bus took off again, rumbling down the road to Cincinnati before they would turn back up to go to Indianapolis. After a half hour, the bus started to slow down to his confusion. It seemed they were just about in the middle of nowhere, why were they slowing down? He got his answer as three older women shuffled onto the bus without paying the driver, taking seats near the middle of the bus.
Percy felt Annabeth stiffen beside him, and he turned to see her rapidly paling while she palmed her dagger. "Percy, those are the kindly ones!" She frantically whispered. Clarisse snapped her head up at that, looking towards the three old women before ducking her head back down and grabbing a can of mace. And Percy? He just frowned and looked up towards the women before standing up and making his way forward. Annabeth and Clarisse's eyes opened wide as they saw their friend seemingly walk up to go to his death unarmed and with no plan, as they were frantically hissing at him to stop and come back. Percy ignored them however, and walked right up to the three old women.
The two closest to him noticed him and started to growl, flashing fangs at him as he passed right by them. Sitting down next to the third woman, he looked over at the familiar face of Mrs. Dodds, who was scowling at him. "Idiot, what are you doing? Megaera and Tsisiphone could have killed you!"
Percy smiled at Alecto, "Aww, I didn't know you cared! I'll have to file that bit of information away for later!" Alecto blushed in embarrassment, as if it was the worst thing in the world to say that she cared for a demigod. "Don't push your luck, Perseus. You may be my summoner but I'll still kill you if you piss me off too much. So why haven't you called on me at all?"
Smiling at her empty threat, he leaned back into the seat. "In the middle of camp? Good one Alecto, I'm sure I could explain that very well." Before they could continue their conversation, one of her sisters decided to chime in.
"Alecto, what are you doing! Are you going to kill the demigod or not? Would you prefer if I did?" She asked. Alecto snapped at her, "Stand down, Megaera, this one is not to be killed!" Megaera gaped at that, baffle by the idea of an off limits demigod.
Before she could question Alecto further, Alecto turned to Percy. "I have approached Lord Hades about not killing you as soon as he sees you and instead enlisting your help in retrieving the helm. He was not amused by the proposition but has decided to go for it, so he is now counting on you to retrieve the helm as well as the bolt on this quest." Oh great, any other powerful gods need him to fetch something?
Alecto continued, "Look, Perseus. I don't need to tell you as I am sure you have probably figured out, but this is a big deal that Lord Hades would even go along with this. He was quite dead set on your, well, death. Now that I have thrown my two cents in, it is both of our asses on the line, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would pull this one off. Lord Hades will in fact reward you for your services if you do succeed in the retrieval of the helm, and will give you a reward for a successful mission." Alecto stared at Percy, waiting for his answer. If he was honest, this was a pretty big deal, and frankly was a great opportunity for him to avoid the wrath of another one of his uncles while also scoring some benefits.
Ping!
New quest added!
Retrieve the Helm of Darkness before the Solstice!
Rewards:
+10,000 EXP
+$150,000
+D1000
+?
+?
+?
Failure:
Death, Alecto will be punished
Accept/Decline
Clicking accept, he turned to Alecto. "Don't worry Alecto, I'll find the helm as well, you can relay that to Lord Hades." He responded. "Thank you, Perseus." Alecto showed a brief grin, before shifting to her usual scowl and turning to her sisters. "Megaera, Tsisiphone! We're leaving!"
Megaera and Tsisiphone looked gobsmacked at that, "What! Without slaughtering the demigods!" Alecto snarled, "Yes, now let's go! We still have a lot of work to do unless you have forgotten!" Grumbling at not being able to commit murder, the two sisters prepared to flash out of the bus before the smell of ozone descended on the bus.
Alecto's eyes widened as she turned to Percy, "Get off the bus, now! Seems like someone wants to jump the gun on your judgement, and you cannot retrieve the helm if you are dead!" His eyes widened and snapped towards his quest mates, who stood gobsmacked at the back of the bus that he wasn't dead. Rushing over to them, he grabbed their bags and tossed them into his inventory before grabbing their hands and rushing out of the bus. Not a second later and a massive bolt of lightning tore through the sky, smashing into the bus and setting off a large explosion which sent the questers flying into the ditch by the road.
Wincing at his now tender back, he looked over to the burning remains of the bus in horror. Zeus had just tried to kill him while he was on a quest to retrieve his bolt! What an asshole! Then Percy thought of all those people that just died in the explosion before he noticed Alecto flying down to him and hovering just above him.
"Good, you're still alive. I see you are worried about the people on the bus, but don't be. We got them out before the bolt hit, trust me we do not need more people showing up in the underworld before their time. Now get going, I wouldn't put it past him to send another bolt down if he sees that you are still alive." Alecto explained. Percy nodded, and grabbed Clarisse and Annabeth's hands before rushing into the forest for cover. After they rushed for a good few minutes, they stopped to take a quick rest and regroup.
As he was panting trying to catch his breath, Annabeth stormed up to him. "What the hell was that Percy, why did the furies not attack you, and what just happened to our bus!" Percy looked up to see Annabeth glowering at him and a confused looking Clarisse. "Furies…asked…for a favor, Annabeth. Lord Hades has asked us to get something and it looks like it will be our ticket out of our deaths. Oh, and apparently the big man upstairs decided to jump the gun." He explained, hearing rumbling in the sky afterwards.
Annabeth and Clarisse paled a bit at his explanation, Annabeth grabbing her head to stifle the onset of a headache. "Ok, ok. What does Lord Hades want us to retrieve?" Annabeth asked.
Percy looked at her in pity, she was getting stressed out pretty bad, but unfortunately for her it is about to get worse. "Oh, just the Helm of Darkness." Annabeth cursed loudly in Ancient Greek at that, kicking a rock into a nearby pond. Clarisse just stood there in shocked silence before muttering out, "Great, so now not only do we need to get the Master Bolt, but we also have to get the Helm of Darkness. Great, just what have you dragged me into, Percy?"
He heard Annabeth sigh as she rejoined the group, "Doesn't matter, we are all here now. Our timetable just got a little more stringent, now we need to search for two needles in a haystack instead of just one. I think we should continue on to the land of the dead just in case. If Lord Hades is lying to throw us off of track then we will have time before the solstice to retrieve the bolt, if not then we will hopefully find clues to their location as we reach LA." Sounded like as good of a plan as any, so the three agreed to keep to the plan of heading towards LA. "Ok, now we just need to find some alternative transport. Hopefully we can make it to Cincinnati and somehow find some money, the trains run through there and we can make it to at least ST Louis that way."
Percy pulled out their bags and handed them to Clarisse and Annabeth who were thankful that all their stuff had not been destroyed in the explosion. Using Apollo's sun as a guide, they trekked through the woods SW to Cincinnati.
The group of three stumbled out of the woods as the sun set over the horizon, darkness settling around them. Annabeth figured they were still at least 15 miles from the city, and it wouldn't do them any good to continue on any further into the night and just wait for morning. It had been hours since they had left Columbus, and the meal they had eaten had already run it's course and they were yet again hungry. Unfortunately, Percy was not able to grab the pack of rations they were given by the camp before the bus exploded, so they were out of luck when it came to food.
As soon as they were ruing their empty stomachs, however, the sweet smell of greasy meat wafted over to them from down the road, where they could see a bit of light peeking through the darkness now that the sun had fully set. Stumbling over to the light, they saw a small store with a glowing neon sign out front. Odd looking statues littered the premises, of all shapes and sizes of various creatures. Percy looked up at the sign to decipher it, happy that he no longer suffered too terribly from dyslexia as it allowed him to properly read the neon red lettering proclaiming 'Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium'. Even though this place sold gnomes, they could really count themselves lucky that whoever worked there was still here and cooking up some grub.
Clarisse turned to her quest mates, "Smells good, just had burgers but I could eat anything after all of that. Think whoever is here will let us eat?" "Worth a shot." Annabeth replied.
They walked up to the door, going through the rows of statues littered out front and around the sides. Odd thing, though, was that the statues all had these weird looks of fear on their faces. Not sure how many people go for the fear style when choosing gnomes, but whatever. Percy walked up and knocked on the door. After a few moments, they heard footsteps on the other side approaching the door.
The door opened to reveal a tanned woman with a shawl draped around her head. She was quite tall, much taller than Percy, with facial features that screamed beauty. Oddly, she was wearing sunglasses out when it was dark, though, which didn't make much sense.
"Oh my, what are you poor children doing out here at this hour, hmm?" she asked. Her accent was middle eastern, and she quirked an eyebrow when she asked her question.
Before he could respond, Annabeth cut in. "I'm sorry ma'am its just that we are with a traveling circus but we are lost. We went into the woods but got all turned around, and we don't know where to go!" She sure played the damsel in distress pretty well, or rather the scared girl pretty well. It seemed to work as the woman looked shocked and sad at Annabeth's words. "Oh you poor dear! Please, all of you come inside and settle yourselves down. I'll get you something to eat and we will talk about getting you back to your family after, ok?" Jeez, she sure was nice and accommodating.
The three were led to a small dining table through the back of the shop and were seated. To be honest, this all seemed a little suspicious to Percy, she folded way too easily, so while the woman's back was turned to him he used observe to see if he could figure anything out about her.
Medusa the Gorgon
LVL: 45
HP: 10,000/10,000
MP: 15,000/15,000
STR: 75
VIT: 89
WIS: 110
INT: 123
DEX: 102
CHA: 98
LUC: 56
A priestess cursed by the goddess Athena after her rape in the Temple of Athena by Poseidon, Medusa was turned from a beautiful woman to a creature that will petrify anyone she looks at, forever preventing her from finding love and being seen as a monster. Medusa is wary of Percy and his friends. The Medusa prefers to use her claws and to petrify her victims.
Ping!
Due to continuous use, a skill has leveled up!
Observe
LVL 6 (5%): By focusing on someone up to level 80, you are able to discover their stats, their level, their attributes, a brief bio about that person, their weapon of choice, and what their current opinion of you is! You will also be able to sense killer intent from people around you now!
Gods dammit, he just had to run into a legendary monster that probably will want his head if what he read about her past is correct. It's always something, isn't it? But…if he was honest her story was more of a tragedy. She was raped in Athena's temple and what does Athena do? Curses her instead of helping her. Why do the gods have to be like this all the time? There are too many stories that are tragedies in Greek mythology.
"I'll be right back, sweeties, you just make yourselves comfortable, ok?" Medusa said as she turned to go back into the kitchen. After a few moments Percy decided to go after her. "I'll be right back." He told his friends. He heard them say ok before he entered the back room and slunk into the kitchen. He could see Medusa flipping a few burgers. Sneaking into the room and a couple feet behind her, he pulled out Riptide and uncapped the blade.
"What's the plan here Medusa? Going to try to kill us?" He asked. Medusa stiffened as she heard his voice, before she slowly turned around to look at him. She stiffened a little more at the sight of Riptide already brought to bear, and trembled a bit as she spoke.
"So you are demigods, hmm? I was afraid of that. What, come her to kill me, another notch in your belt? Why can't you all ever leave me alone, you and the rest of the world! Why must you hunt me!" This wasn't what he was expecting, but it basically confirmed what her description said. He looked at her trembling form and then to Riptide and thought for a moment. This poor woman had been hunted for just about her entire life for something that was not her fault. For something that was his father's fault! Was he just going to continue the cycle?
He looked over to her, and saw the outline of a tear streak running down the side of her face. Dammit, this isn't right. It was never right. Who was he to do this to her? These damned gods! How could they do this to people! He was sure she was not the only person that ended up on the short end of the stick of the gods, cursed to be hunted by demigods like him for eternity. He would not, however, the cycle ends here. One last look at the poor woman's face and his mind was completely made up.
He sighed, before capping Riptide and putting it away much to the shock of Medusa. "No more. You don't deserve this, any of this. You were betrayed by two gods and cursed for something out of your control. I refuse to kill you as my namesake did." He sighed, hoping he was making the right choice. Even if he wasn't, he would at least be able to rest easy knowing that he did the right thing.
Medusa was shocked, speechless. He doubted she was ever shown any form of kindness after her transformation, millennia of solitude and being hunted probably warped her view of the world. "Wh-why? You are a demigod!" She exclaimed, shocked at the very notion that she was being spared by a demigod instead of hunted.
"And you are a person, an innocent person. I will not kill an innocent person, even if the gods demand it. You will be safe while I am here, rest assured." That seemed to break something inside of her, as the tear tracks down her eyes became more pronounced as she fell on her knees, crying. What had the gods done to this poor woman? She removed her glasses to cover her crying eyes better, ashamed to be crying in front of one of those who hunted her for so long.
Percy was reminded of how Hestia was before he became her friend, how she explained to him that the immense loneliness ate away at her for years. He couldn't allow this poor woman to suffer anymore, he needed to fix this mistake, and the road to redemption should be started with a single kind act.
He walked up to her and knelt down, and pulled the crying woman into a hug. She stiffened at the contact for a long moment, before melting into it and hugging him back fiercely. The poor woman was completely touch starved, this probably being her first hug in millennia. They hugged for a moment, before Percy pulled back a bit and decided to tell her about his heritage. She needed to know, he did not want to appear disingenuous.
"Medusa, I need to tell you something. I'm not just a demigod. My name is Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon." This shocked Medusa greatly, and for a moment she thought he had lured her in to finish what his father had started. How cruel, even for the gods! She struggled to get out of his grasp and prevent her death, but he held onto her and did not let go.
"I am not here to harm you, I want to help you!" She stilled at that. "What my father did and what Athena did was inexcusable and wrong! I want to set the record straight, and see what I can do to help you." She still seemed uncertain, and Percy could understand. Plus it did not help that he was named after her first killer and the son of the person who raped her and was responsible for her being turned into this. He needed to do something, a show of faith. That's it!
"Medusa, look into my eyes." This completely confused her, did he not know that he would be petrified? "Trust me, look into my eyes. I want you to see how serious I am, to see me." Slowly, she looked up and met his eyes. He felt something akin to a burning sensation in his eyes as he met her brilliant blue ones.
Warning! Petrification attempt detected! Petrification resisted with Gamer's Mind!
After a moment of him not turning into stone, Medusa was confused, before her eyes widened. "I'm not going anywhere, Medusa. I will find a way to break your curse and set you free." He stated. Medusa started to tear up; it had been so long since she had someone stick up for her, she honestly couldn't remember the last time it had happened. His last sentence froze her before his next one blew her away. "I swear it on the Styx."
Medusa heard the rumbling in the sky signifying a sworn oath on the Styx, an unbreakable vow. She teared up even more at that, he would go this far for someone like her? Openly sobbing, she crushed him in a hug and cried into his shoulder. How ironic that the son of the person that put her in this position would swear to set her free from it.
Ping!
New quest added!
Free Medusa form her curse!
Rewards:
+5,000 EXP
+$20,000
+D100
+New Title
+?
+?
+?
Failure:
You will feel absolutely terrible forever, and death
Accept/Decline
Percy immediately clicked accept, and held the poor sobbing woman in his arms for a little longer. She really needed it.
Perseus "Percy" Jackson
Son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson
Perseus is the son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon. His ADHD and Dyslexia provide him battle reflexes and natural affinity to Greek due to his existence as a demigod. Due to his heritage, he has an ingrained affinity to the sea and is able to control water and earthquakes. Due to being a demigod you permanently receive +5 to STR, VIT, and DEX.
Title: Son of Poseidon
Race: Demigod
Level 11
EXP: 5,500/12,000
HP: 1,050/1,050 (+100)
MP: 1,000/1,000 (+100)
STR: 20 (+5) (Boost: +100 HP)
VIT: 20 (+5) (Boost: +10% HP Regen. | Current Regen.: 25 HP/min)
WIS: 22 (Boost: +10% MP Regen.) (Current Regen.: 22 MP/min)
INT: 20 (Boost: +100 MP)
DEX: 29 (+5) (Boost: +5% effectiveness to all physical skills)
CHA: 27 (Boost: +5% to all prices. +5% effectiveness to all speaking skills)
LUC: 11
Attribute Points: 17
Money: $85,670/D785
Status: None
Skills
Physical:
Swimming (LVL - MAX)
Running (LVL 10 – 90%)
Sneaking (LVL 2 - 90%)
Acrobatics (LVL 7 – 67%)
Archery (LVL 8 – 20%)
Unarmed Combat (LVL 4 - 91%)
-Sub Skills:
- Judo (LVL 4 - 54%)
Sword Mastery (LVL 7 - 91%)
Critical Strike (LVL 4 - 92%)
Powers:
Observe (LVL 6 - 8%)
Charm (LVL 2 - 97%)
Taunt (LVL 2 – 25%)
Lying (LVL 1 - 78%)
Water Manipulation (LVL 11 - 98%)
-Sub Skills:
-Water Spikes (LVL 5 - 95%)
-Blood Control (LVL 3 – 97%)
-Ice Control (LVL 5 – 30%)
Shadow Manipulation (LVL 4 – 95%)
Language:
Modern English (LVL 13 – 95%)
Ancient Greek (Level – MAX)
Equish (LVL – MAX)
Passive:
Gamer's Mind (LVL - MAX)
Lie Detection (LVL 1 - 93%)
Mana Sense (LVL – Max)