The rescue team, consisting of Perseus and Hector, stood stuck in the middle of rural Nebraska. Miles and miles of corn surrounded them, with the nearest person probably miles away. It turned out that some technical difficulties made the Perseus train to damage itself, stopping the quest for a while.
Perseus led the way to the nearest barn, or at least the minimal sign of civilization they could find. Hector, trailing not so far behind, walked with his arms crossed and shivering from the cold.
"How the fuck are these plants still alive in this cold?! Such a great life, staying still and waiting for a farmer to take your fruit. I wish I was corn" Hector muttered
"Then it seems today could be your lucky day," A woman said behind him. An average height blonde woman with brown eyes stood studying the teen.
Perseus, noticing that his son had not kept up, turned around to scold him. But, when he did, the face of a curious goddess of the harvest was met.
"Now, what are your names and what are you doing in my plantation?" Demeter glared at the two males
Hector bowed, showing respect to his superior, "Lady Demeter, it is truly an honor to be in your presence. Your beauty truly exceeds its reputation"
Ignoring the boy, Deméter continued to glare at the god of tides, who stood paralyzed in front of her.
"Well? Are you going to pay your respect to me or shall I turn you into one of these corn plants?" Demeter told Perseus
"I do not have to bow to a fellow god Demeter" Perseus calmly said
Demeter's eyebrows furrowed, "God? Who are you?"
"I'm Perseus" he simply replied
"Never have I heard of you. Are you a minor god? If so, where does your allegiance lie?" Demeter questioned the god of tides
"I'm not an Olympian, but I don't know if I'm a minor god. I'll say I am a minor god just because. As to my allegiance, I stand with my family"
"And who is your family?"
Perseus smiled, "why Olympus of course. My two parents are Olympians and all my friends are part of the council"
Demeter let out a breath she did not realize she was holding, "good. What are you doing here Perseus, especially with a camper? You surely know this is against ancient laws."
"Hector here was on a solo quest, and I being the good person I am, decided to help him. However, before you burst an ovary, technically I found a loophole in the law which enables me to help Hector here" Perseus kicked Hector, who was still bowing, "get up already"
Demeter glared at the god of tides, "and what is this loophole that you're talking about?"
"Simple, Hector is still a child, and one of my domains is childhood. Therefore, I am just making my domain and charge stays in order" Perseus grinned
"I still don't trust you," Demeter said
"Oh please! I get it, Persephone is away and you're lonely, boohoo. That doesn't mean the rest of us men are like the little king of goths there. Gods, who would say that you're not the manhater. At this point Artemis seems to be more of a normal woman than you" Perseus joked, pushing the buttons of Demeter.
"Don't you compare me to her! I have children of my own while she only has that group of lesbians!" Demeter yelled angrily, feeling insulted with the words that Perseus had just thrown at her.
Hector suddenly became enraged, "I dare you, goddess, speak one more word about Artemis and you'll regret it"
As the goddess was about to reply, a growl from behind her made her turn around. Right in front of her stood a mountain lion, growling in hunger and showing its shiny and sharp fangs. Demeter, truly afraid of the animal, backed away until she was behind the two males.
"I'm sorry about what I said, just make it go away"
Hector stepped towards the lion and put a hand in front. The mountain lion, smelling the fingers of the teen, walked towards him and began to purr at the body of the teen.
"Aww, you're just a cute little buddy, right? Who's a good boy?" Hector baby talked the mountain lion
"Who the Hades is your godly parent?!" Demeter yelled
"Shhh, you don't want to make the lion startled, now do you?" Perseus said smiling
"There's something odd about you too, and I won't rest until I have found out what it is," Demeter said before flashing out
"So I guess that's my aunt" Perseus muttered
The god of tides stood staring at Hector, who played with the mountain cat, as one would with a cat, except that we couldn't carry it.
"You're just so cute Missu," Hector said in a high pitched voice
"Missu?" Perseus snorted
"Yes, Missu. Got a problem with it? Cause he doesn't. Do you Missu?" The mountain lion did a weird sound which Perseus took as a no.
"What do you mean you don't like Miss?" Hector asked the mountain lion. "Fine, then what about Kiru?" "No? Then Yamil" "Stijn?"
"You're really bad at naming things" Perseus commented, the mountain lion nodding along
"Fine, then what do you propose?" Hector rolled his eyes
"Simba" Perseus simply said
"Simba?! You must be-what do you mean you like it?" Hector asked the mountain lion, "you hated Missu but want to be named after the lion who got over the death of his father in just a song? If I had known that I would've named you Mufasa" "no, I don't want you to die. Why do you have to be so extra?" "No, I was not insulting you Simba"
"Are you talking to the cat?" Perseus asked the teen
"Yeah, got a problem?" Hector replied, caressing the first of his new companion
"Not at all, just think it's pretty cool," Perseus said, bending over to let the mountain lion go smell his hand.
"Yeah, that's one of my powers. I can summon animals and talk to them. Nobody that I know can do that so I guess that's pretty cool" Hector looked at Perseus, "I told you one of my powers, how about you tell me your domains?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Because we're a team, and a team should know everything about each other to function properly" Hector replied
Perseus stared at the teen in front of him and sighed in defeat. "Fine, but you gotta promise not to judge after I tell you"
"Promise on Simba's life," Hector said, taking a paw and putting it up
"Well, as you know, my name is Perseus, and I'm the god of tides, childhood, secrets, feelings, technology, hospitality, humor, sacrifice, and time. I know that being a deity of time has a certain negative connotation, but I've been trying to steer away from it" Hector widened his eyes at the statement, recognizing some of the domains of the god as things he had felt a certain attachment to.
"So, theoretically, would it be possible for you to freeze someone in time?" Hector asked the god that was in front of him
Perseus nodded his head, "Yep, I don't think I've done it yet, but it's possible. I mostly use my domains of childhood, secrets, hospitality, and tides the most. The rest are like bonuses the fates decided to grant me."
Not feeling trusting in the god, Hector simply got up and patted the mountain lion on the head.
"We should go to a motel or something. The night will get much colder and I would appreciate it if I arrive in California not frozen to death" Hector said, walking towards the setting sun.
"The nearest motel is the other way around," Perseus said pointing East
"Right, but Artemis is west" Hector pointed towards the opposite side
"But if we keep walking west, you won't be in any shape to save Artemis. As much as we are in a hurry, you must remember to take care of yourself. What good would it be if you arrived almost dead to Mount Othrys and the General to capture you? "
"Who's the General?"
"That's what A-t-l-a-s likes to be called. Just roll with it"
Hector stared at the god of tides, measuring the words that had just been spoken. In a silent debate, the brownish-auburn-haired boy decided not to go against a god who was trying, after all, to achieve the same goal he was.
"Ok, we'll stay in the motel first. But we have to leave early in the morning"
"Not a problem," Perseus said, grinning
The pair walked for about twenty minutes through the cornfield. With the sun setting, the visibility of the place began to diminish, the duo navigating only through their instincts/powers. Perseus used his domain of hospitality to locate the specific coordinates of the motel, while Hector simply followed behind. After arriving at a simple road, it was only a matter of time until the pair arrived at their destination.
"Looks like we arrived" Hector muttered at the sight of a pretty pink building in the middle of nowhere
"Paphos Motel & Breakfast" Perseus read aloud "Oh and look, it has a restaurant!"
Both the god and teen entered the motel, where a charismatic young man welcomed them in the reception. After receiving the news that the motel was pet-friendly, the pair got their room key and walked towards their room.
When they opened the room, a king-sized bed filled with rose petals, along with a bottle of champagne were the big welcome the pair had to the motel. The bathroom door was crystal clear, and two bathrobes hung in the closet.
"At least it has a big flatscreen TV," Hector said, breaking the tension
"Just leave your mountain lion and backpack here. We have to eat something" Perseus said tiredly.
"But Simba will get hungry. Won't you Simba?" Hector cooed the mountain lion, receiving a lick in the cheek from it
"We can't risk a clear-sighted mortal to see that we have a mountain lion. Don't worry, we'll bring him some meat. Now come on, I'm hungry"
Leaving Simba inside the very romantic room, the quest pair made their way to the very tiny restaurant that was part of the motel. It was empty, with only a woman waitress that sat on a stool texting somebody.
"Shit, I gotta go take a leak really fast. Get us a table and chocolate milk to drink for me. If they don't have that, then lemonade" Perseus said before running off to do his business.
"Since when do gods go to the bathroom?" Hector asked himself, approaching the waitress. "Excuse me, can I have a table for two?"
The waitress looked up from her phone, locking eyes with the ex-camper and smiling brightly.
"Of course! Sit anywhere you like. I'll bring your menus right now" the waitress told in a very enthusiastic tone.
Hector sat down in a table for four, facing towards the door in a safety measure. Since very young, the teen always took an extra effort to make sure that he was prepared for any attack that he may encounter. Sitting facing the entrance was the best way to evaluate every person that entered through the doors, judging quickly if they pose a threat to him. Some said that he was being overly paranoid, but being raised as a demigod had taught him that he would always be subject to monster attacks.
"Here are your menus. Would you like anything to drink first?" the waitress asked
"A root beer for me and chocolate milk for the adult," Hector said grinning at the situation
The waitress smirked, "Alright, I'll be back with your drinks to take your order"
Hector looked at the figure of the waitress, each step reminding him of a lost friend. Her long princess curled blonde hair, her tanned skin, and her grey eyes, it all reminded him very much of a girl who was also lost. Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and first love of Hector. The girl who was his best friend for so many years, all until that dammed Son of Poseidon decided to show up in camp.
The main objective of this mission was to rescue Artemis, but Hector couldn't help but also have an agenda of his own. Whoever had abducted Annabeth, his best friend, would surely suffer from his wrath. It didn't matter if it was a monster, demigod, god, or even a titan, nobody would get away with harming Annabeth.
"Whatcha thinking about?" the voice of Perseus brought Hector back from his trance.
"What took you so long?" Hector asked the god
"I tend to go to the bathroom often when I'm stressed. It's part of my coping mechanism" Perseus defended himself
Hector scoffed, "Coping mechanism? I would've guessed that gods did not have anything to worry about except power"
"We do worry about things! Like right now, I'm worrying about Artemis" Perseus blabbered
Hector narrowed his eyes, "Why do you worry so much about Artemis? Do you like her or anything?"
Perseus blushed, "You could say that"
Hector laughed out loud, "No way! A god with a crush on Artemis?! And a friend of Apollo no less! Wait till he finds out, or worse when she finds out"
"I thought Hera had taught you to behave in the presence of a god"
Hector brought his hands up, "Hey, you're the one that proposed we get along better"
Before Perseus could reply, the waitress arrived with the drinks.
"Alright, root beer for the little boy, and chocolate milk for the big boy," the waitress said, putting the drinks in front of the clients.
"Me me big boy" Perseus exclaimed
"Oh shut up Percy," the waitress said, quickly bringing her hands to her mouth, trying to recover her action.
Perseus looked at her in great detail, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Aphrodite?"
"Oh, what's the use in hiding it anymore. Hey Percy, long time no see" Aphrodite said, sitting down in an empty chair
"It has only been a month"
"Feels a whole lot longer. You know how much I need you"
Hector cleared his throat, reminding the gods that they were in the presence of a minor. "Are you two like fuck-buddies or something?"
Perseus laughed while Aphrodite glared at him, "Haha, she wishes"
"He's just mad because he can't get someone as hot as me," Aphrodite said "So, what are you doing all the way in Nebraska? And with a camper no less?"
"Top secret stuff, you'll find out in your next meeting" Perseus sipped from his chocolate milk, "By the way, thanks for the silly straw"
"So, what is your name young man?" Aphrodite asked Hector
"My name is Hector Carib Troy, unclaimed. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Aphrodite" Hector bowed his head
"Aww so cute. See Percy, you should learn from him. He is so respectful, so I doubt he has any godly enemies. If you want to come to broad daylight as a major god, you have to appeal to everyone. Of course, I can help you with everything, but you have to put some work into yourself. Starting with a makeover. See, look at Hector here. He is very fashionable, yet he still has personality, comfort, and it keeps him warm in these cold winter days. Now, look at you! And to think that I'm your friend" Aphrodite ranted/roasted Perseus
Perseus groaned "Could you please just bring us food?"
"Fine, what do you want Troy?" Aphrodite asked
"Can I have a hamburger for here, and a slice of uncooked meat to go?" Hector told the goddess
"Of course. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your pet mountain lion" Aphrodite winked
"Don't wink at him. And where's my food?" Perseus said angrily
The goddess of love turned towards the god of tides, "I do what I want. And summon your own food, don't be so lazy"
Perseus growled but did what he was told by the love goddess.
"Now, Troy, you have a very Troyan name. Hector Troy. I bet your godly parent supported their side, which I must say is a good thing for you. It means I already root for you" Aphrodite ignored the angry look Perseus was sending her
"I guess, although I don't know who he or she is," Hector said shyly
"Oh! I could help you"
Perseus raised an eyebrow, "I bet you can't help him"
Aphrodite turned to the god, "How much?"
"90,000 drachmas," Perseus said smugly
"Deal" the goddess turned to Hector. "Troy, what are your powers?"
"I can talk to animals and summon them, I'm really good at archery and swordfighting, I sometimes know what other people are feeling, I feel very energetic during the night, I can climb trees and follow a path with no effort and am very fast in the forest. And, for the last one, you have to promise me you won't tell anybody"
"I swear on the Styx I won't tell your next power to anybody unless I have your permission" Aphrodite swore, thunder roaring sealing the oath
"I can slightly control time, like freeze someone in time" Hector said quietly, earning wide eyes from Perseus and narrowed ones from Aphrodite
"I see...Sorry Troy, but it seems I cannot help you. But can you do me a favor and leave me alone with Perseus here, I have to ask him something. Gods stuff" Aphrodite said
Hector nodded and went to the room, taking with me the bag with the piece of uncooked meat. As soon as Aphrodite felt the teen inside the room, she turned angrily towards Perseus.
"When were you going to tell me that you had a child with Artemis?"
