A/N: So we're going off of where we started last, and I know its been a few days so I recommend skimming through the previous one, just to jolt your brain real quick.
A figure clad in black flew through the trees, swinging from branch to branch smoothly. Lethal weapons were sheathed only letting the handles peek out. Sweat glistened down the figure's biceps and a skull adorned his face underneath his hood that flapped in the wind. His silver armbands glinted in the sunlight brightly. As he traversed the treetops acrobatically, he heard voices ring throughout the surrounding forest. Stopping on one of the massive branches he evened his breathing and perked his ears. Just beyond view, multiple men conversed lightly with occasional bouts of laughter. The figure leaped to the next branch silently, and then the next. Soon the men came into view.
There were 4 of them, they all bore bronze, clunky, armor that clanged at the slightest move. Identical bronze Galea helmets had blue plumes streaking down the middle, clearly marking their side in the war. All rode on plain brown horses with black matted down manes and long tails that swished about, swatting away flies. Sheathed swords rested on each of their hips that bounced with the trot of the horses. They all were talking joyously, except one. He was the only one that stood out.
His horse was a pure black steed with flecks of gray. Its mane looked to be the softest material man has seen. Somehow the swishing of its tail looked mesmerizing and elegant. Though the steed was impressive the man sitting atop its back was even more so. The man's features looked like he was chiseled out of marble, his jawline was sharp enough to cut paper, his jet-black stubble decorated his face, and his muscles were on display generously. The man had a beautiful bronze chest plate that looked to have had stars captured on the surface. His helmet matched the chest piece with a nose and jaw protector, a black plume was placed down his helmet stating his position in the army. His legs had silver greaves wrapped around them. His blade was sheathed like the other warriors but unlike them, a dagger rested at his hip and a shield that matched his armor was strapped to his back.
The figure crept through the trees following the soldiers and listening to their ridiculous conversations. He followed them for over a kilometer before the man on the black horse raised a hand, halting the others right away.
"We shall camp here for the night." He declared firmly, already hopping off his magnificent horse. The rest of the soldiers followed suit and did the same. They started to pull supplies from bags that were slung over the horses. Soon they had gathered the tents from the bags and begun to set them up in the small clearings between trees. Their tents were nothing special, just a fading, white cloth, propped up by sticks found in the surrounding terrain, and then nailed to the ground. They had set them up in a circle, with their horses tied to trees on the outskirts munching happily on berries from bushes. They dug a small hole in the middle of the circle and filled it with a fallen trees logs and kindling, a single soldier worked on starting the fire, while another went out and set a trap and picked berries, the last soldier went and collected water from a nearby stream, the man on the black steed did nothing, only sat in his tent, sleeping for all the others knew. The soldier trying to start a fire struggled immensely, curses about the General spewed from his mouth accompanied by numerous hatreds filled glances at the resting warriors' tent. For all he was worth he could not get a spark to ignite the kindling, he scraped the rocks together hundreds of times - the sound filling the resting General's ears until he snapped and exited the tent.
"Give me those," He growled to the soldier who paled believing he had heard his mutterings. He shakily handed the rocks to the man, "Achilles sir, I have been attempting to ignite the fire for long. 'Tis not working." He said slowly. Achilles ignored his excuse and banged the rocks together over the fire making a shower of sparks fall from them, igniting the fire almost immediately and making the soldier adopt a look of shock. He threw the rocks next to the fire pit and stalked off toward his tent leaving the shocked soldier to caress the fire.
The shadowy figure studied the soldier's with curiosity leading him onward, he continued to repeat the name he had overheard,
"Achilles. Achilles. Achilles. Why is that name so familiar?" The shadow mused to himself repeatedly. He thought back to the exquisite armor and the handsomeness he wore. Flashes came back to him of seeing numerous posters bearing the same handsome face and legendary armor normally posing stoically, with thick lettering regarding the war.
"Achilles, the great war hero. In rivalry with Heracles - The greatest hero to ever live - and Perseus - The slayer of the gorgon, Medusa - to bring fame and glory."
The figure barely refrained from facepalming; these were part of the Greek army. Most likely to make a map of the surrounding area for an upcoming battle. The figure nodded to himself and brought out his hunting knives, carving a large 'X' in the tree to mark his spot. He turned and continued to hop through the trees, blending with the wind and shadows.
Nightfall snuck upon them stealthily, quickly pouncing when none were prepared. Except for a shadow that stole through the darkness smoothly. "Kilometer to the south. Kilometer to the south." He muttered to himself as he sprinted through the forest without so much as a twig snap. Finally, up ahead he could see a faint orange light radiating from an area with particularly dense brush, he got near enough to see the dancing shadows it displayed playing onto the nearby trees, then, at last, he could smell the excreted feces and thick scent of urine - Whether horse or human, he could not tell - quickly followed by the tempting aroma of roasted pork. He sped up his pace and caught the large 'X' carved into a nearby oak.
"Lot of help, that was." He thought to himself sarcastically, as he turned to look at the scene in front of him a guard sat against a nearby stump, his eyelids fluttered closed and his head dropped for a split second before snapping up again. He repeated this once more then his head did not snap up after it sunk and he began to snore loudly, the figure smiled and dropped to the ground clumsily making a loud rustling, he glanced at the soldier who fortunately was still asleep having only stirred slightly.
He released a breath he didn't know he was holding and tiptoed toward the nearest tent quietly. He entered it no more than the wind and looked to the sleeping body lying in front of him. Achilles the great war hero, who knew he slept with a teddy bear? Stifling a chortle he made his way over to the gear that lied on the ground, looking it over his eyes rested on the belt, it was black leather with Greek engravings sewn into it and a blue-green gem planted in the middle that seemed to hold the waves of the ocean. He reached out slowly and caressed it softly, it read: "The Heart of the Sea, Lives on." He picked it up and took off his own. Unclipping the pouches that were attached to his belt and putting them back on the newly acquired belt he slung it around his waist happily.
Looking to make sure the hero was still asleep, he snuck out of the tent slowly, careful to not wake any of the occupants of the tents. His heart dropped when he saw that the guard had awoken from his slumber, he stared into the fire, transfixed. Perseus almost thought he wouldn't notice him, almost. The guard lifted his head tiredly, locking eyes with the thief of the belt. He stood up wide-eyed and stumbled backward, tripping over the stump he was sitting against. He shot to his feet and unsheathed his sword but by that time the thief had reached him and bashed in the head with the hilt of his knife, forcing him to crumble down to the ground unconscious in a heap.
A breathy sigh escaped the thief's lips, which could have been disastrous. Glancing around once more he launched himself onto the nearest branch and left the scene with his prize. He ran for about a kilometer back to a shabby camping site, a small lean-to rested against a boulder, a tiny fire crackled lightly six feet away from dying out slowly, and the scraps of rabbit were on a long stick resting on the ground beside a pure white piece of parchment. He strolled into the campsite uncaring, dumped some sticks he picked up on the way into the fire making it grow. He sat underneath the shelter and pulled off his hood revealing the nightmare-inducing skull which melted into his face letting his true form take place, a handsome face with sea-green eyes and raven black hair. Perseus. He picked up the note and read it through.
I saw what you did with the belt, Perce. I knew I saw Hermes the other day, should've asked but whatever.
- Apollo.
Perseus smiled and threw the note in the fire which ate it up gladly. Shifting into a more comfortable position he laid back and stared up at the stars. He enjoyed doing this because it made him feel small, like when he felt his problems were big, then the stars were there to remind him that they aren't as big as he thought. It just brought him to peace staring at the faraway galaxies. Soon enough his eyelids grew heavy and his head lolled to the side, lazily resting on his hands, and sleep overtook him gratefully.
Once he woke up, he immediately set off, newfound vigor fueling him. He swung through the tree branches gracefully, watching the mountain come into view and grow larger and larger until he was staring up at the cliff face of crumbling rocks.
Sticky sweat dripped from his hair, making clumps of hair stick together, the sky was bright blue, the sun was set high in the sky and searing hot.
"Geez Apollo, are you trying to kill me before I get even there?" He asked him, grunting with effort.
"Sorry," He replied in Percy's mind sheepishly. A few moments later a cloud formulated and blocked the sun, casting shade on the valley.
"Too late now." He muttered aloud as he threw an arm over the edge. When he was about half-way through with pulling himself, he caught a glimpse of the landscape and nearly fell down the entire mountain. To call it breath-taking would be an understatement.
Closest to him was a gorgeous pond, the was crystal clear, it had lily pads floating around with purple flowers on them, fish of vibrant colors swam along the banks. Ducks sat in the water and doves flew around the skies. Through the outline of trees that surrounded the pond, he could see a grand oak, with a dark and thick trunk. It must've been 6 feet wide and 10 times that tall. High up in the tree he could see his prize, exactly a dozen of golden apples that shone off the sun so brightly he had no trouble spotting them. He almost missed the large scaly body wrapped around the base of the tree. He winced, Ladon sat there all 100 heads snoring lightly, every time he twitched all the muscles in his body rippled.
Percy scrambled up the side and found himself lying on the lush green, grass so soft it felt like the bed he had in Apollo's temple. He army crawled to the end of the tree line and looked around for any of the Hesperides. None. Percy sighed collectively; it would not be a fun conversation if he ran into one of them un-masked. He willed his mask to form and flipped on his hood.
He'd decided to attack during the day when he would be the strongest and alert, especially with Apollo above him. That was how he ended up with dozens of dragon heads littered on the ground surrounding him and two battered bodies unconscious, lying face down in the grass. Ladon was dead, in his opinion he cheated of sorts. He used the water from the pond to chain the beast down and cut off its heads one-by-one. Not long after, the Hesperides arrived, and they were beaten soundly, now there was only one thing stood between him and victory. Zoe.
She was even more beautiful than before. Her hair was braided with gold strands and her eyes glimmered like the stars. She also gained lean muscle and skill with Anaklumos. Both their faces were contorted in the effort as electricity sparked between them. Their swords clashed against each other as much as the people wielding them; Percy could feel the rush of déjà vu. Subconsciously they began to go through the motions of when they were training. She nicked his arm like she always did, he feinted towards the chest and swung at the legs, she jumped the blade and kept circling.
He spoke roughly, "Step aside!" The voice came out diluted, a deep voice that surprised even Perce.
She sneered, "Bite me, you bastard! These are the Apples of Immortality, not to be tasted by some lightweight like you." She charged with her sword acting as a lance.
Percy side-stepped and swatted away her sword, it flew from grasp and through the air, then turned back into a hairpin. She whipped out an average hunting knife from her lower leg. She held it up menacingly, scooting back toward her sword. Percy charged, feinting a slice to the side and shoulder slamming her. She flew across the lawn, landed right next to Riptide, and extended it, sheathing the dagger again smoothly.
They fought blow-for-blow with Perce on a slight edge but never able to push it, completely. He was getting worried that the other Hesperides were going to wake, then he would be screwed. The only way he had beaten the other protectors was that they had attacked at different times, together would be impossible. They both began to get tired, making more and more drastic and uncoordinated moves. As the sun went down Perseus felt his will fade slightly, Apollo was a big factor in this quest.
Zoe's heritage helped her in the long winding battle, for once she was okay with who her father was. Percy's mind wandered, allowing him to have a slight interest in little things. Eventually, he had a revelation mid-swing, Zoe used the same moves repeatedly, he quickly came up with a plan as he noticed her stance shift dangerously, about to lunge again. He took advantage of her opening, he wrapped around and got her in a choke hold, for a few moments she struggled, fighting off fatigue, but her face began to turn purple.
"I'm sorry," Percy murmured as she went limp in his arms. Gently he dropped her unconscious form and looked to the tree. "Apollo, I'm coming home."
A/N: 155 Years later
Percy panted crazily and sweat dripped down his forehead, he blocked another strike from the sun god's spear with his twin hunting knives. The weapons sparked dangerously against each other as they continuously met in a storm of attacks and blocks. Finally, Percy noticed a chink in his guard as he thrust and swung the butt of his spear around, the hero was so focused on exploiting it that the wooden shaft connected with his jaw roughly. Percy staggered back and clenched his jaw open and shut before barely escaping another wild swing from Apollo's spear.
He twirled his hunting knives around and smirked at the god before starting to launch into a flurry of attacks which left the god barely dodging and blocking most of his attacks but by the time he came down from his adrenaline rush Apollo was left with dozens of shallow cuts that seeped golden ichor. Percy flashed a blinding smile at the sun god that rivaled his own. He lazily crooked his four fingers signaling for him to attack. He grits his teeth at the demigods' taunting and complied, launching into his own flurry of attacks but unlike himself when he slowed the son of Poseidon was not covered in any cuts except a few that occurred earlier.
Percy shot him another taunting grin which forced the god to strike. He fainted with his spear blade but swung with his shaft, repeating the move that left a good size bruise on Percy's face. Percy saw this coming and dropped to the ground on a knee before kicking Apollo in the crook of his leg forcing him to stagger and yelp in pain, Percy swung around in a turn and placed his blade against the sun god's neck in an icepick grip.
With his chest heaving, Percy questioned the god, "Do you yield?" He asked not letting the excitement seep through his voice. Apollo pursed his lips and nodded grimly, Percy's eyes widened, and he removed the blade from his opponent's neck before whooping in joy and dancing around the room celebrating with incoherent words. Apollo watched with amusement as the boy mockingly celebrated his 100th win against the god. Finally, the boy slowed to a stop from galloping around the room and rested beside his adoptive brother.
"100 wins, quite an achievement, but Perseus, do you know what this means?" He asked. The boy only shook his head in return. "You are now too powerful."
"What do you mean?" He asked nervously.
"I mean if you were to go out into the world you would be recognized, by monsters and gods, because of your aura." He explained.
Percy looked at him with a face of utter confusion, "What aura?"
"Your aura," Apollo said in a Duh tone. "Now people will be able to see how powerful you are from just being in their presence."
"So basically it's a power meter?" He chuckled. Apollo also cracked a smile,
"More or less."
"So what are we going to do?" He said slipping back into serious mode. Apollo looked at the ground and muttered something softly,
"What?" Percy asked, cupping his ear, and leaning closer. Apollo gathered his courage, but his eyes did not leave the floor.
"You must leave." He said slightly louder. Percy's normally mirthful eyes turned cold and the temperature dropped while time slowed.
"What?" He repeated rhetorically. Before Percy could leave Apollo launched into an explanation.
"No, no, no, I don't want you to leave, but if my father or uncle sensed you, they would surely kill you. Because of your heritage and power. I mean, you are a son of Poseidon and Kataraménos, at full power you could beat a god. And because they are afraid of being overthrown-"
"Wait," Percy interrupted the gods' rant, "Who is Kataraménos?" He asked in confusion. He felt as if that name meant something, it was accompanied by a warm feeling inside and calming sensation. Apollo adopted an apologetic look and pursed lips,
"Perce, I can't tell you that yet," He replied. Percy began to grow red in the face, and Apollo broke. "All I can tell you is that it roughly translates to The Damned." Percy looked at him curiously. Apollo met his stare mysteriously before continuing his explanation.
"They kill any immediate threat. I happen to have a few… friends, that will train you further" He said carefully.
"Who?" Percy asked menacingly, flashing with entrails of anger from Apollos' vagueness. Apollo flinched slightly at his tone but soldiered on.
"Pontus and the other Primordial," He said casually, Percy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he looked at him with one of shock as he suddenly passed out, Apollo quickly rushed over to him like all those years from before and scanned him with his godly abilities. He breathed a deep sigh and fell back on his butt from his hovering position when he realized it was just shocking. Sitting up he looked at Percy's prone figure, he made an instant decision and reared back before bringing his hand across the shock-riddled demigod's face.
Perseus sat up clutching his red cheek, he glared at Apollo who stood over him with a cheeky grin. He slowly started to gather his memories, he won the spar, Apollo told him he had to leave, to train with his 'friends'. Percy racked his brain to remember who they were but came up empty.
"Apollo, who am I staying with?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Apollo sighed and said,
"Please don't pass out this time," He said exasperatedly. Then the final piece of the puzzle slid into place,
"Pontus," Percy muttered faintly,
"And the other's," Apollo interrupted. Percy took a moment to wrap his head around that thought and would have taken longer but Apollo broke him out of his musings. "I know this is a lot to process," He started, "But can we speed this up. My family will sense you any second." He said nervously fidgeting and looking around him. Percy shook his head and nodded,
"Okay, how will I get there?" He questioned. Apollo gave him a blinding smile.
"I have a present for you, think of it as a going gift." He said with a shrug, he started to chant in an ancient language and make hand motions in a demonic voice and Percy looked at him with slight fear. Suddenly he burst out laughing at Percy's pale face, "Y-you s-should have seen-n your f-f-face," He wheezed, doubled over, clutching his chest. Percy immediately grew a sour look on his face and shoved the sun god who fell to the ground still laughing. After a second Apollo calmed down and stood up, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, he faced Percy who wore a slightly pissed-off look.
"What happened to, 'My family will sense you any second'" He mocked. When the god just waved it off, so Percy decided to drop it. "What is the gift?" He questioned moderately angrily. Apollo rolled his eyes,
"Repeat after me," He ordered, "I, state your name, son of, state your godly heritage, accept Apollo's blessing of the sun. And accept the awesome god as my patron"
"I, Perseus Jackson, accept Apollo's blessing of the sun. Son of..."He started and paused, adopting a foul look before muttering, "King of the sea, Poseidon. "He resumed normally and finished the rest of the seal, "And accept the debatably awesome god as my patron." He finished and he started to glow a fiery orange, as Apollo scowled at him. Once he died down, he looked himself over, "What's different?" He asked, confused.
"Your appearance will stay the same, but your abilities, those will change," Apollo explained excitedly.
"What do you mean?" Percy looked at him with a look of confusion.
"Focus on your core, there will be another deity, you must pull on that deity to activate your new power's. Which is sunlight control, advanced healing, better singing, and improved archery skill." He listed, ticking things off his fingers. Percy looked at him skeptically before barreling at him in a huge bear hug.
"Thank you," He mumbled. And Apollo smiled,
"Oh, I almost forgot you will also be able to sun travel, just enter the gaze of the sun and you can transport yourself almost anywhere. Your new teachers will help you control and strengthen your abilities." He said, breaking out of the hug, "Come, your new teachers await."
Percy looked at him sadly, "Will you visit?" He asked sadly.
Apollo smiled and nodded, "Of course," He assured him. "Now you are about to experience sun travel for the first time. Are you ready?" He warned him. Percy adopted a cocky smile and replied to him,
"I'm ready for anything."
"Cocky son of a bitch," Apollo muttered under his breath, then quickly grabbed his arm and transported them.