And Then There Was...Charred Demigods?
*DF sneaks in with a fresh baked chapter* Heya Peeps! EAT THIS! *proceeds to chuck update at your gobsmacked face*
I'm coming at ya with another fresh installment, the first of many in the arc I like to call: Camp Half-Blood Renovations and Other Shenanigans!
While I may not receive a ton of feedback, the quality of your kind words is what's keeping me going with this wayward fic of mine. I just wish I had it in me to let others who keep commenting on the previous fic on Dr. Paint 's profile to head on over here on my page for more content!
I'd like to remind everyone that the previous fic was rated K+, this reboot of mine is rated T.
You could probably tell by this point, but I've already started the slow transition into the T rating territory. I don't foresee this fic in particular treading into M waters for any reason or ever...unless I make another spinoff series exploring my dark and twisted side...which is some pretty dark taboo shit that will definitely need some content/trigger warnings...I have many ideas...
Let me know your thoughts on that.
For those of you wondering what Triton said in the previous chapter, well, he was basically trash talking Hermes. Lol, those two really have it out for each other!
I do believe a disclaimer is in order: DearlyFictitious does not own the Percy Jackson series or anything related to it. This was written purely for entertainment and no money was made off this. It belongs to Uncle Rick Riordan!
One last thing, I'd like to state the obvious and say that Poseidon adores his beloved son Perseus.
Onward ho!
Poseidon swam alongside his demigod son in peaceful silence on their way to the farthest borders of his kingdom. It wasn't unusual for his son to become silent while traversing the waters, in fact, he took great pleasure watching his sea green eyes sparkle in wonder.
His Perseus, his beloved son, was currently in his Simple Merman form and even then it was almost insulting to call this form 'simple'.
He had stygian royal blue tinted hair, cyan colored skin, two large dorsal and ear fins, and a pair of slender opalescent blue tails with long tail fins that had serrated edges on the ends.
It wasn't anywhere near as ornate or eye catching as his Regal Merman form, but it still made him a vision.
Every so often his son would catch him staring, but he eventually paid no mind to it and let him do as he pleased. He would continue on his merry way and quickly focus his attention on something else.
Poseidon wasn't a fool, he knew what others were saying about the close relationship with his son; to tartarus with them all, he thought darkly. It was a range of assumptions and wild imaginings, but the most vexing were the insults to his pride and joy.
They dare say he wasn't unique or special; that he wasn't worth his time or effort, nor was he anything but a mere demigod.
What utter BLASPHEMY.
He, Poseidon, was ruler and sovereign of the oceans and seas; his precious merbaby was sprung straight from his loins, was that not proof enough of his heritage? The very ocean itself caressed him with so much adoration, the currents blanketed him in a protective embrace, and the waters would sing back to him whenever he made a click or whistle. His smile could light up even the darkest of trenches, the sincerity reached all the way up to his eyes; creation above, his eyes.
His eyes were almost an exact replica of his own, but his son's were magmonious.
They put every precious gem and ore to shame, they shone with a radiance no other substance was capable of, they possessed such passionate depths to them; a kaleidoscope of bright blues and gorgeous greens as endless as the secrets the ocean swore to keep.
His fellow gods always remarked how similar he and his son looked, and they were right, to an extent. They had many physical similarities of course, but you'd be a fool to miss the features that he inherited from his mother.
For starters, Perseus' nose was a bit thinner than his, he had his mother's gorgeous cheekbones and angular chin, which had translated nicely into a sharp jawline. He had her thick curtain of lashes, long nimble fingers, elegant collar bone, which again translated into sharp andro shoulders and a narrow tapered waist, and most noticeable, her lissome body type.
Even when shrunk down to a much more mortal size, his hulking frame still seemed to encompass his demigod son's significant 6'2" height. Unlike most of his offspring, Perseus had a much more graceful bone structure than the others before him. Fortunately this didn't seem to bother him at all; he had all the strength and might to back up and prove his prowess.
In many ways, he was similar to his first born son in that they both took after their mother's body types. It made them look even more like siblings, which Triton took great pleasure in flaunting.
Sweet Mother Rhea, don't get him started on his first born.
After their initial precarious introduction, Triton had literally taken to Perseus like a duck to water. He suspected that they would eventually get along— he wouldn't have brought Perseus down to Atlantis if he didn't think he was safe, but never in his wildest imagination did he dare to believe that Triton would endear himself so strongly to his demigod brother. They were practically glued to the hip, or as Amphitrite liked to call it: like two pearls in an oyster.
And in another surprising turn of events, Perseus had reciprocated the sentiments completely in full, and together, they made a wondrous duo.
Except when they ganged up on him during ping pong matches...those damn brats!
Perseus' voice roused him from his musings when he asked, "Hey Dad, what are you guys gonna do while I'm gone?"
"Hm?" He turned his full attention towards his son and saw he had a pensive sort of expression across his features, "Nothing out of the ordinary, just some standard board meetings with Delphin. Your brother, on the other hand, has some catching up to do with his duties."
His son sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, another trait he inherited from him, "Did I keep him from doing them?"
"Don't worry yourself about that, he's old enough to sort out his priorities." he smiled kindly at him, "I think I should ask you this; what do you plan to do back at camp?"
"What won't I be doing? There's so many renovations that're taking place, I doubt I'll get any sleep."
"It's good to keep busy every so often."
"Yeah I guess."
"Is something bothering you Perseus?"
Perseus startled and looked back at him, "What?"
"You seem apprehensive."
"I...not really."
"How so?"
"Well, I might be overthinking it a little." at his Father's probing gaze he added, "If it's still bothering me, can I call you guys to talk about it?"
"Of course you may."
"Thanks Dad."
They continued on their merry way until they finally reached the outland borders of Atlantis, they stopped right before it and turned towards each other.
He traced the smooth skin of his son's chin and tilted his head so that their eyes could meet, "Perseus."
"Yeah Dad?"
"If for any reason, you want to come home, don't hesitate in doing so."
His eyes widened in shock, but then shrunk down and crinkled when he smiled, "Okay."
He backed up and waved, "Well, I'll see you guys later then."
Perseus turned to leave, but not before being swept back into his Father's arms in a warm bear hug.
"What's the matter? Is my son too old for hugs?" he teased lightheartedly.
His demigod son was silent as he wriggled in his arms to return the hug. He nuzzled his face in his chest and subconsciously let out a sigh of content.
Poseidon turned his gaze down to observe his Sea Prince one last time before his departure; his half lidded gaze cast shadows on his cheekbones, the side of face pressed up against him was smushed up cutely, and his arms were barely able to close around his barrel shaped chest; all the while his own fingers could easily curve around past his elbows while he hugged his son.
The palace would be much more somber without his presence, he thought morosely. He didn't even try to suppress the sadness worming its way into his chest.
He would miss him greatly.
Giving him a final squeeze, he slipped a small object into his satchel, placed a gentle kiss to the crown of his head and spoke Ancient Greek softly into his earfin, "Return to me soon Perseus, my lovely and fierce spring tide."
•••
Jason watched as some of the Ares campers helped the Hermes cabin load the carts full of concrete and gravel, they worked surprisingly well when it came to working together towards a mutual goal.
It was almost as if their cabin wide wedgie incident yesterday never happened…and honestly? Jason, along with the rest of the camp, were shocked that no curses were called down on each other.
Small victories, he supposed.
"Hurry it up slowpoke, these boxes weigh a ton." barked Butch.
"Yeah, yeah I'm coming."
He readjusted the grip on the box he was carrying and joined his companion, "I'm just in shock that Sherman can still walk after the atomic wedgie the Stolls gave him yesterday."
"No kidding, but he didn't go down without returning fire." he nodded solemnly, "May his nuggets recover swiftly."
Jason snorted and nearly dropped his box, "His wha-? That's the last thing I want on my mind." his shoulders were shaking with mirth and he elbowed Butch when it looked like he was going to say something else, "Knock it off, I don't want to drop this heavy mystery box on my feet."
Butch gave one last chuckle, "Whatever, let's get going."
They made their way to the strawberry fields where Lou Ellen was kneeling in front of a beautiful archway carefully tending to some runes.
She paused her work when she heard him approach, "Hey guys! You're just in time too."
"Lucky me, what's in the box anyways?" Jason grunted, setting it down heavily. He peeled back the flaps and what he saw made his jaw drop, "Seriously? More rocks?"
"They're not just rocks," she chided, "They're special rocks."
Butch rolled his eyes, "Oh boy, special rocks."
She smacked him lightly on his forearm and together they unloaded the box and set them around the arch according to the carefully drawn schematics in front of them.
"There, all they need now is a full moon cycle for them to charge up and they'll be good to go."
"What are these supposed to do?" Jason eyed up a small pebble with a complicated inscription, "I don't see how this is going to give us any grapes."
In fact, he couldn't see where they could possibly grow any grapes at all; every single possible area was already occupied with their strawberries, and it wouldn't be a good idea to plant them too close to the pegasai stables or archery range either; anywhere near the combat arena was out of the question.
Zeus have mercy if anyone ever tramples a grapevine in front of Dionysus.
Lou Ellen scoffed, "Well that's obvious."
"Okay then, what isn't obvious?"
She stood up and dusted the dirt off of her knees, "You see these markings here at the top of the arch? In between each and every medium to large stone there's hundreds of small pebbles littered in between; exactly three hundred and sixty-five of them, and a small blank pebble on top of the arch right there."
Jason followed her finger during the explanation and dawned on some understanding, "Three hundred and sixty-five? Does that stand for the days of the year with the blank one filling in for the leap year?"
"Ding ding! That one was submerged in the Lethe and tricks the others into not noticing it until February 29th. Now down here," she kneeled again and pulled their sleeves to lean in closer, "These large boulders amongst the smaller ones here represent water, earth, and sky; the Big Three. As you know, in our world, the number three is a strong magical number that represents stability, these stones will enact that law here and stabilize the enchantment above." Her dark emerald eyes beamed up at the complex formation, "This is some of my best work!"
Jason looked up at the structure with a newfound respect and could now see the intricate patterns that made up the entire spell. She really outdid herself, he thought.
"Wow. I really wish I knew what all that is supposed to mean." Butch deadpanned.
The demigoddess shook her head, "Yes of course; in Layman's terms it means that this archway will be the door into another dimension!"
He blinked, "Another what?"
"Yeah I know," she replied dismissively, "These stones have to charge a whole moon cycle just to initiate the spell, after that the regular moonlight will act to re-energize the inscriptions nightly. Opening up another dimension is some serious spell work."
"I didn't know you could do that."
"Well, technically yes and no, I'm nowhere near strong enough or have the amount of divinity required to cast such a spell. That's something only my Mother has the authority to do."
"That's nice of her." commented the burly demigod.
"Actually, Mr. D is going to be the one to make a vineyard dimension."
"How?" Jason demanded in disbelief, "I thought you said only Lady Hecate was able to create them."
"She is the only one." she agreed, "You see, after the power charge is done, my Mother will give the archway her blessings, and after that will Mr. D be able to shape the dimension to his liking." she shrugged her shoulders, "She said to leave that to him since that is where his specialties lie."
Jason plopped his fist into his palm, "Ooh, so you're building the foundation, Hecate's blessing will act as the permission slip to rip open another dimension, and Mr. D will be left with the empty slate to do as he pleases."
"Right on the drachma." she winked.
Butch turned toward her, "What the heck did you have to sacrifice for something like this?"
"I didn't need to sacrifice anything." she confessed, "Mr. D was the one who had to promise to give my Mother a few cases of his personally crafted wines in exchange for her blessing. In fact, she was also the one who helped him convince Zeus to let him have a vineyard in the first place."
"How'd they manage that loophole?"
"Mr. D has that specific restriction, but his sons don't." she smiled mischievously, "So they'll be doing the gardening under his watchful eyes."
Both demigods mirrored her grin, "Nice."
After another few moments of admiration, Butch swiftly turned on his heels and left, "Aaaand that's enough awe for me today. See you guys later."
Lou Ellen blew a raspberry at his retreating back, "He can be such a meathead sometimes."
Jason squeezed her shoulder, "No, but seriously, this is amazing. Lady Hecate would- will definitely be proud."
"Thanks Jase." she said softly.
After that, the rest of the day was a whirlwind of carrying supplies to and from cargo ships and coordinating plots of land with the nymphs and satyrs. The pegasai were utilized as well and even had the sky busy with traffic all day. The first official day of Camp Half-Blood renovations was underway and off to a great start; everyone was gung-ho and raring to go.
It was days like this that really brought out the unity in all of them. That if children of various gods could work together, then so could they.
•••
Jason's muscles were screaming at him by the time evening rolled in. In fact, he felt like his day went by incredibly fast and slow at the same time, if that were possible. It's funny though, he could've sworn that the sun was high up in the sky only an hour ago...
"Jason!" called Leo, he was in front of the forges standing on top of a large generator next to an irate looking Annabeth, "Yo! Can we get a jump start over here?"
"Hm?" he said absentmindedly.
"A jump start please? This baby needs some juice." he said with his thin chest puffed out.
"Leo, we haven't run any proper test simulations with this model yet." she cautioned, "The prototypes barely made it past the first stages."
"You doubt my awesomeness? I'm hurt Annabeth, right here." he clutched his sternum and ignored her pointed look, "Now c'mon buddy. Let loose and gimme the thundaaa!"
"Sure thing pal." he rolled his shoulders and thoughtlessly tossed an arc of lightning across camp and right at the generator.
Annabeth, Leo, and a few of his siblings, had to dive out of the way as the bolt hit the generator and caused a loud boom! to sound off in the clearing. The impact caused discharges to arc sporadically and turn anything it touched into a crisp.
Jason paled as he watched the chaos that ensued,
"Watch it!"
"My hair is ruined!"
"Did someone get Zeus mad?!"
"My leg!"
"Amigoooo that was so NOT cool!" whined Leo who was also currently dodging the latest arc of electricity, "All it needed was some juice! Juice! Not the whole barrel of wine!"
"Shoot! I'm sorry!" Jason yelped. He ran towards the generator and started blindly fingering around the circuits, "How do I shut this thing off?"
"Umm...that's a good question!"
"wHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?"
"THAT'S WHY I ONLY ASKED FOR SOME JUICE!"
Clarisse, only a few paces away from her fleeing siblings, had her spear primed to throw. A rogue bolt had raced over her head and caused half of her hair that was in a low ponytail to stand up wildly on its ends, making her look like a super saiyan.
"Move Grace, I'm taking that thing down!" she roared.
"No please, not my Valdez Supremo Whatchamacallit 2.875!" cried Leo, "He has so much life left to live! And so many deep fryers he needs to power!"
"Deep fryers?" asked Clarisse, baffled enough to lax her stance by a margin.
"They're for the churros!"
"Hey! That wasn't part of the budget!" screeched Annabeth.
"Mr. D." Chiron called out from behind a bush, his tail now resembling a pompom, "Could you lend us a hand please?"
Dionysus, who had his sons Pollux and Dakota hunkered down and shielded under thick vines behind him, was currently dancing between the lightning strikes like he was playing a particularly dangerous game of DDR. He spared a lazy glance at Chiron and replied, "Why would I do that? This is fantastic practice for the laser game tournament Eros is hosting next week."
Chiron facepalmed and turned to his next best available card, "Ms. La Rue? If you would be so kind?"
"Wait!" Jason's voice cracked out, "Let me move first-!
Clarisse belted out a war cry and let loose her spear, aimed right for the core.
"Wait!"
THUMP!
•••
After waving goodbye to Hermes, Percy quickly made his way through Zephros creek and hopped out of the waters. As he surfaced, his body morphed back into his human form wearing a light baby blue gossamer chiton his Mother designed, complete with leather sandals and gleaming bronze brooches.
He'd promised her to get a picture of him wearing it when he arrived, and just when he was about to pull out a camera, Juniper, Grover, and April burst from the bushes and squealed when they saw him.
"There he is!"
"Percy!"
"Prince Perseus thank the gods you've arrived!"
"Hey guys! How's it goin-
They rushed him with Grover at his back, Juniper with vice grip on his upper arm, and April's hand in his, "No time for 'hello's! You must come quickly!"
"Whoa!" he said while trying not to trip over thick tree roots, "April what's going on?"
"All hades broke loose man!" bleated Grover.
"It's chaos out there!" cried Juniper, "My sister's bush nearly got scorched!"
"Scorched? By what?"
Percy quickly got an answer when a ground shaking KABOOM! sounded throughout the skies and echoed in the forest around them.
The tremors nearly knocked him off his feet and he stared wide eyed ahead of him, "Di immortales! What was that?!"
Without waiting for the girls and Grover to get back up on their feet, he ran through the forest at a breakneck speed, his soles barely touching the ground as he broke through the treeline. He raced past fleeing pegasi, cleared the stables and the combat arena, and came to a screeching halt when he made it to the epicenter of the explosion.
Charred demigods lay moaning on the ground in all states of consciousness, while Dionysus was doing some sort of weird tribal-Egyptian-chicken dance in front of his caged sons. Chiron had somehow made it up a tree and was dangling precariously from it; his expression brightened when he caught sight of him.
"Perseus!" he wheezed, "Welcome back." and promptly fainted.
Percy stared in disbelief at the scene before him, "It was two months...I was only gone for two months!"
He looked to his right and saw Jason lay spread-eagle in the dirt, his face and body was covered in grime.
"Dude, you don't look so hot right now." he poked his face and grinned, "So, how was camp while I was away?"
"Meh, same old same old." he croaked and cracked a pained smile, "It's gonna be even better now that you're here."
"Looking forward to it." he clasped his arm and helped him sit up.
"Percy!" gasped Grover, "Jeez man, you run really freaking fast."
"I'll say." added Juniper, "You'd think he'd be as wobbly as a newborn lamb with how long he spent in the ocean."
April's expression melted into relief and without a 'by your leave', she slumped straight into his chest and held onto him tightly.
Percy chuckled and pat her head, "It's nice to see you too." He took her mumbling in his shirt as an affirmative.
"So...what happens now?" asked Jason.
"Oh yeah!" Percy thrust his hand into his satchel and pulled out an old school looking camera, "Mother Amphitrite wanted a photo of me in one of her designs. Everyone gather round!" he declared while hauling Jason up with one arm and hooking Grover and Juniper with his other arm; April was content where she was and smiled brightly up at the camera as a bright red light started to flicker on and off.
Giving a smile blinding enough to rival Apollo's, Percy looked up at the viewfinder and had everyone positioned in the frame; all the while the demigods that groaned in pain around them with Dionysus photobombing them in the distance served as an interesting choice in scenic backdrops.
"Everyone say Feta cheese!"
"Feta cheese!"
"Gouda!"
Click!
And Cut!
Boy, oh boy that was an absolute blast to write!
Writing Leo Valdez is one of my guilty pleasures, third to Triton and second to Percy being called cute/beautiful/handsome for me.
I may have given him my slight obsession with delicious churros...
Percy finally made it to camp! LET THE CHAOS BEGIN!
This chapter made me laugh all throughout the second half lol Please let me know your thoughts in the Reviews section.
Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms, blatant bashing/flames will be used to keep me warm this upcoming winter.
I actually wasn't planning on writing Poseidon's part, but as I was writing, I was like: What about Poseidon's snippet of the story?
He loves his merbaby and left him wonderful surprises in his cabin!
Spoiler Alert! Triton does not cope well lol.
I hope you all enjoy my interpretations of the demigods and gods that will be featured in the near future.
If you have a minor OC you want me to add, DM me directly. I'm only accepting THREE and I have the absolute authority to refuse. But hey, if you don't get picked, it probably wasn't because your OC was bad, they just didn't suit my purposes in the fic.
First come, first serve!
Let's see how far this writing bug will take me now.
~Loveandhugs from me! DF