"Where'll it be, kiddo?" A man said from behind a slightly tinted window. Dying embers fell out of the end of his cigar.
"Cugino's," I replied, leaning my hand on the frame of his car to get a better look at him. Look, I've got nothing against seedy taxi drivers- I don't. I'm from around here, for crying out loud. I've had my fair share of sketchy incidents in the back of a taxi.
It was more for Aphrodite's, and by extension, the taxi driver's sakes than mine. The last thing I wanted was for someone to look at her the wrong way and get vaporized into nothingness.
Honestly? He looked pretty standard, as far as Manhattan taxi drivers went. "Few blocks down."
There was a slight rustling noise as he stretched over to start the meter. The doors unlocked. "Hop in."
I opened the door for Aphrodite, who nodded at me before sitting down. Like, not sitting down and scooching over, but just plopping herself down on the first available seat.
I opened my mouth for a second but decided against it. "Uh…never mind."
I jogged over to the other side of the taxi and got in. This was off to a weird start…
"You from around here?" The taxi driver asked in a slight Brooklyn accent. His eyes were trained on the road as he pulled onto the street.
"Yeah," I answered, peering past the little screen that was up between us and him. "Been here my whole life."
We turned right onto a street, the Empire State Building disappearing behind us. "City boy, then. You a street rat?"
I snorted, looking out the window as the familiar buildings passed. "Nah. I go to Yancy."
Went to Yancy. Now I fight gods with my uncle and aunt.
"With all those richy-rich boys?" The man said, chuckling. "I don't envy you, bud. And you, girl- what's your story?"
"I am a goddess," Aphrodite said in a haughty voice, sitting up straighter. I felt my cheeks redden in secondhand embarrassment. "The goddess of love, beauty, and lust."
The cab was silent for a few moments as Aphrodite's words hung in the air. The taxi turned again, entering the residential area of Manhattan. A couple of kids were on the street, kicking around a ratty soccer ball.
I felt like hitting my head against the window repeatedly.
"Is that like, uh, an act?" The taxi driver tried to resume the conversation, albeit a little awkwardly. "That's real good."
"Yep," I answered for Aphrodite, who shot me a glare. Sorry, Aphrodite, but I'm not trying to have you tell this dude the gods exist and get us stuck in a mental ward. Well, I'd be stuck- she'd just teleport out. "She's doing this method acting thing. Our teacher says she can't break character. Something about 'knowing the role' before she can act it out."
"Ah, gotcha," The driver replied, but I could tell he was still a little uncomfortable. He turned the radio on, clearing his throat. "So, kid, you coming home?"
"Oh, yeah," I offhandedly wondered what Riptide looked like to the man. Was the mist even coating me enough to distract him from the dried blood on my shirt? "Just grabbing some food, first."
The driver laughed with me. "I feel that. Cugino's is one-of-a-kind, to say the least. I could eat that stuff all day long."
"You and me both," I replied as the building came into sight. The can squealed to a stop next to the curb. "Thanks for the ride."
"Yeah, no problem, kiddo," The man replied kindly as I passed him a couple of bucks. "You and your friend have fun eating up."
"We will," I replied, opening the door and stepping out into the chilly Manhattan air. I tripped a bit on the door handle and almost faceplanted into the ground.
Looking around to make sure no one saw my almost embarrassing moment, I stretched out my arms a little bit and went to walk towards the restaurant before I noticed Aphrodite wasn't out of the taxi yet.
Are you kidding me?
I walked over to her side and opened the door for her. Sure enough, she was right, there, waiting.
"Finally," Aphrodite huffed as if my waiting to open the door for her was the most annoying thing that had ever happened to her. She offered me her hand. "Well?"
Biting my tongue, I gently held her hand in mine and she gracefully climbed out of the taxi.
Okay, I'll admit, my interactions with Aphrodite have been weird in the past. I may not know that much about her, or even like her that much, but I'll be damned if the woman doesn't know grace.
Do you know how hard it is to look good getting out of a taxi in the middle of the evening? She made walking out of a taxi and into a pizza joint look like it was the most magnificent thing in the world.
Shaking my head, I led her over to the restaurant.
"We're eating here?" Aphrodite asked me, her perfectly threaded eyebrows pushing together a little bit. "What is this hovel?"
"Just keep an open mind," I said lightly, noticing she still hadn't let go of my hand. "They have the best pizza around. You'll see."
The inside of Cugino's was pretty small. I decided to sit us down at a table farther away from everyone.
I'd have to be blind to not notice the not-so-discreet stares Aphrodite was getting…from men and women alike.
"What're you feeling?" I passed her one of the paper menus that were on the table. I was hoping she'd just say pizza, 'cause that's what I was going to get anyway.
"Interesting question…I think a little confusion, a bit of disgust at this restaurant," Aphrodite said the word restaurant like it was alien in her mouth. She wrinkled her nose at the walls, chipping some of the yellow paint off with a plastic fork. "Such a poor color for walls. Is this Forsythia or Babouche, do you know?"
"Um, I meant for food," I said, feeling a little awkward at the moment. I didn't even know what those other two words meant…"Like, what do you want to eat?"
I wanted to make this work- really, I did. No one told me it was going to be this hard, though!
"Oh," Aphrodite said, tapping her chin in thought. She smiled at me earnestly, clapping her hands excitedly. "Oh! I know. I will have a Parmesan Risotto with fried shrimp and a small dressing of tomato and garlic. If they have Prosecco, I will take that, or even red wine. If you must, a Cosmo will do."
I nodded at her and walked up to the counter. "Got it."
"Hey, could I get a large cheese pizza?"
"Sure," The guy behind the counter said, punching a few keys on his register.
$9.66 appeared in bright letters across the small screen. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, can I get one of those big bottles of Coke and two cups?"
He pulled a 2-liter bottle of Coke out and put it on the counter with the plastic cups he found under the fridge. "No problem. That it?"
"Yeah," I pulled out my wallet. "That's it."
"Okay. Your total is $11.34," The man said. I handed him twelve dollars. He gave me the change and turned around. "Un grosso formaggio! Thanks, kid. It'll be out in a few."
"Yeah, no problem," I grabbed the cups and soda. When I got back to the table, Aphrodite was staring at me intently.
"So, you live around here?" She asked, pointing towards some of the apartment buildings across the street as I poured us both some soda. Aphrodite raised an eyebrow at the soda but didn't say anything.
"Yep," I replied, pointing at Gabe's apartment. I ignored the pang of anxiousness I felt as I thought about what I was going to do to Gabe after this. "Right there, actually."
"Interesting," Aphrodite said, looking back out at the street. One of the broken streetlights would flash once in a while, illuminating Aphrodite's eyes as she looked curiously at the run-down building. She really was beautiful. "Can I see?"
"See what?"
"Where you live," Aphrodite returned instantly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She leaned back in her chair a bit. "I would like to see."
"That may not be such a good idea," My brain instantly flashed back to Gabe. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if I walked in with Aphrodite.
That, and…well, I didn't want her to be around when I killed him.
Or, turned him to stone, rather. He'd still be alive so I wouldn't have to feel guilty at all- not that I would even if I killed him.
"Your stepfather," Aphrodite guessed knowingly. She gave me a calm smile, sipping from her plastic cup. "I do not fear mortals, Percy."
I ran a hand through my hair. "I know, I just don't want you to see what I'm going to do to him."
Aphrodite nodded at me, gently placing her cup back down. "I know. I would still like to see."
Thankfully, our order was called out before I could answer. I went and grabbed it. Aphrodite didn't look too excited when I brought it back.
"What is this?" Aphrodite asked quietly, narrowing her eyes at the greasy goodness.
Your average slice of pizza has a little bit of grease. New York slices generally have a lot of grease, at least in comparison to normal ones.
Cugino's, though? You'd think the grease itself was the meal and the pizza was just there.
"Pizza!" I said happily, pulling a slice onto my paper plate. I bit into it, and I could almost imagine my taste buds doing a happy little jig in my mouth right now. "Ib's beally goob."
"It looks awfully fattening," Aphrodite said, levitating a piece onto her plate. She poked it a few times with the blunt end of her knife- well, my knife, that I gave her because she was expecting someone else to give her silverware- frowning at the grease. "Is this low-fat?"
"Nope," I swallowed my bite quickly. A low-fat New York slice? You'd be more likely to find Ares in a ballerina dress, jumping around. "Have you never had pizza before? And you're a goddess, right, can't you just like, you know...keep looking like you do now..."
"I don't think so," Aphrodite wondered aloud. "I've been to Italy many times for their fashion shows and romance movies, but I've usually only had their wine and high-quality dishes. As for your second question, yes, but that's no reason to avoid getting fat. Goodness, Percy, if I knew you liked my body this much, I would've worn something a little more revealing."
For some reason, that made me laugh. Like, not just a little chuckle, but a full-blown, cheeks hurting, stomach grabbing laugh.
I'm not even sure what was so funny about it- I think it was just the irony of the whole situation. A couple of hours ago, I was in the battle of my life against a god, and now I was grabbing a pizza with another.
What even was my life anymore?
Not only that, but I was so stupid. Aphrodite was the pinnacle of "high class"- the first time I'd ever met her was in a dream where we basically had the grownup version of a tea party. It wasn't that far of a stretch to assume she'd never had a greasy, New York-style slice of pizza. Then, after all of that, she was flirting with me?
"It's really not that entertaining," Aphrodite pouted, but her pout quickly broke into a small smile and then a light, tinkling laugh. Pretty soon, she was hiding her laugh behind her hand, too. "Okay, okay. Maybe it's a little entertaining."
"I'm sorry," I said as my laughs died out. "It's just- a few hours ago I was fighting a god. Like, an hour ago, the council was trying to kill me. Now, we're in a pizza parlor. That's so weird to me."
"It's okay," Aphrodite assured me, turning her attention to the plate. "Now, then, to eat this…pizza."
Dinner with Aphrodite was interesting, to say the least. I tried to take Hestia's advice in stride and acted like Aphrodite was just a friend instead of a goddess who was supposedly my wife, and it did wonders.
She still wasn't…normal, I guess. I knew she didn't know exactly what to think of me, but I ignored it and chatted with her a bit over the pizza.
We kept the conversation light. I think we both knew there were deeper, pressing things we'd have to talk about at some point, but for now, we just ignored those things and talked to each other.
I told her all about my childhood and what it was like to be…well, mortal, and she told me all about her favorite places to eat in the world.
I didn't really think we had some deep, meaningful connection just yet, but it wasn't completely awkward all the time, either.
I'd call that progress.
Aphrodite and I walked up to my mom's apartment. I rang the doorbell, and there she was-my beautiful mother, smelling of peppermint and licorice, the weariness and worry evaporating from her face as soon as she saw me.
"Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."
She crushed the air right out of me. We stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through my hair.
I'll admit it-my eyes were a little misty, too. I was shaking, I was so relieved to see her. I introduced her to Aphrodite, who thankfully didn't say anything that would make my mother go into cardiac arrest.
She told me she'd just appeared at the apartment this morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits. My mom kept looking at Aphrodite nervously as she spoke- not that I blamed her, of course. Being in the presence of a god could be nerve-wracking at times.
Thank Hades for small mercies, though. I don't know if my mom would ever be able to acclimate back to the normal world if she remembered staying in the Underworld and being brought back home by Persephone.
I made a small mental note to thank Persephone for that, by the way.
Turning her attention away from Aphrodite, my mom resumed her story. She didn't remember anything since the Minotaur and couldn't believe it when Gabe told her I was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments.
She'd been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn't heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to makeup and she'd better get started.
I swallowed back my anger and told her my own story. I tried to make it sound less scary than it had been, but that wasn't easy. Aphrodite chimed in from time to time, backing up my claims and occasionally adding in what it was like to watch from the sidelines.
I was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room. "Hey, Sally! That meatloaf done yet, or what?"
I shared a look with Aphrodite, who nodded.
I told my mom to back up before raising my hand towards the door. A white-hot column of richly red fire erupted from my fingertips.
The door creaked and groaned. The hinges melted into the doorframe and crack!
My mom's apartment door went flying, leaving a rectangular-shaped hole in the wall across from it.
"Nice one," Aphrodite noted, examining the burnt hinges in fascination.
I stepped through the melted doorway, smoke curling off of my hand.
In the weeks I'd been gone, the apartment had turned into Gabeland. Garbage was ankle-deep on the carpet. The sofa had been reupholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades.
Gabe was sprawled across the loveseat like a walrus, watching World Poker Tour and shoving chips into his mouth.
When Gabe saw me, his cigar dropped out of his hand. His face got redder than lava. "You got nerve coming here, you little punk. I thought the police"-
"You thought wrong," I cut him off, my hand inching towards the scrap of cloth covering my eye.
"He's not a fugitive after all," my mom interjected in a last-ditch attempt to de-escalate things. "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?"
Gabe looked back and forth between us. He didn't seem to think my homecoming was so wonderful.
Honestly, at this point, I was more surprised he hadn't said anything about the door, but the Mist was a powerful thing.
"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally," he growled. His pudgy arm pointed towards the landline. "Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."
"Gabe, no!"
He raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say 'no'? Do you think I'm gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."
"But"-
He raised his hand, and my mother flinched.
That was it. Blood roared in my ears. My heart dropped all the way into my stomach, and I snarled loudly. That frozen over well of hatred exploded.
After fighting Ares, my control over the Game's powerswas perfect. I had it fine-tuned to the point where it was like an art.
I teleported straight to Gabe, burying my flame-covered knee in his gigantic stomach. The tendrils of fire dug into his body like the teeth of a shark, pulling him off of the couch and blasting him into the air.
He howled in pain as he went flying upwards, crashing into the ceiling with a resounding boom!
As he came falling back down, the kitchen sink exploded. The constant stream of water pooled around my feet.
"You filthy waste of space," I ground out, the water shooting at him and wrapping around him in tight, rope-like strands. They harder into icicles, sinking deep into his skin. The tips began staining red, pooling with blood. "I'm going to kill you!"
"What is this?" Gabe cried, straining against the watery binds. His nose was leaking blood freely at this point. His eyes looked up at me, wide in fear. I noted, with not as much disgust as I originally expected to feel, that my attack had cleanly vaporized his shirt. There was a deep wound in the shape of my footprint emblazoned on his sizzling chest. "What are you?"
I felt the water tighten against him, and he screamed in pain.
It was like music to my ears.
I knew that if I put a little bit more force into this, he'd be squeezed to death, crushed between my watery ropes like a small pig being crushed under the grip of a twelve-foot anaconda.
I'm not going to lie to you- I was going to do it. I really was going to do it. My mom had fallen quiet a long time ago- I got the feeling that she wasn't exactly opposed to this either.
I started closing my hand into a fist. I felt Gabe's bones starting to crack. Small groans of pain escaped from his mouth.
I was about to close my hand completely, snuffing out his life as easily as it would be to blow out a candle.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, fully expecting my mom to tell me to knock it off. The only thing was- it wasn't my mom. It was Aphrodite.
"You don't have to do this, Percy," Aphrodite told me calmly. She tossed a look of disdain at Gabe's prone form. "This…this thing does not deserve to be let off so easily."
That got my attention. The watery binds loosened, splashing into the carpet. "What do you mean?"
"For someone like this, death would be too simple," Aphrodite said, gently grabbing my hands and moving them back to my side. "You would be giving him the easy way out."
"Look, Aphrodite, no offense, but I think my powers are a little bit more suited for destruction than yours," I replied honestly. "Anything I do to him is far more painful than you could."
Aphrodite's raised eyebrow and blank expression were started to diffuse my anger.
"Really? Is that what you think?" Well, yeah, kind of. Aphrodite smiled at me. "Not all powers are visually spectacular, or destructive in nature. You have yet to learn this. Sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding."
She walked over to Gabe. A pink glow formed around his body. "Sometimes, Percy, the solution you're looking for isn't violent in nature at all."
Gabe shrunk…and shrunk…and shrunk. His stomach sucked in, transforming into a white avian-like torso. Wings sprouted from his body, and his mouth transformed into a beak.
We all stood there in silence as Gabe finished his transformation…into a dove.
What. The. Fuck.
"How is that any better than killing him?" I said slowly. My brain literally couldn't wrap itself around the fact that Aphrodite stopped me from killing him…just to do this instead. "This isn't Disney or something. What sort of solution is that?"
"Because," Aphrodite said as she opened the window and forced him to fly away. "Now, he'll spend the rest of his entire life on the move, never sure of what he's going to eat and never able to rest, even for a moment. For someone like this, that sort of life is far more painful than a quick death. It isn't a Disney solution, Percy."
"I agree with her," My mom spoke up, dashing away the rest of my concerns with her warm smile. Her eyes were shining brightly. "Lady Aphrodite, could you give me a moment with my son?"
"Yes, of course," Aphrodite said smoothly. She offered me a small smile which I returned as she stepped out of the apartment.
"You realize now we have nowhere to stay, right?" My mom said weakly, and we both shared a laugh.
"About that," I started uneasily. "After my fight yesterday, I, uh, I met with Dad…on Olympus."
My mom's eyes widened. Her hands shot up, grabbing my shoulders. "How? That isn't supposed to happen! How do you know it was him?"
"Relax, mom," I said, my heart starting to race a little as I grabbed her hands. "It was actually him. It was at the council of gods. Why do you ask?"
"I was under the impression he couldn't visit you," She replied, her multicolored eyes still searching into my soul. It had been a while since I'd seen my mother so serious. "You're sure it was him?"
"Yeah, mom, 100% sure," I said, a grin forming on my face at the very thought of it. "Dad was actually telling me about hanging out with him in a bit. He wants me to come down to Atlantis this summer. He wants to teach me about my powers, train me in the art of strategy and battle. Something like that anyway."
"I-I'm really happy to hear that," My mom smiled at me- but it was one of those melancholy, wistful smiles. "Spend the summer with your father. No, that's fine. After, though, maybe, in the fall, we can try again. There are other boarding schools around here, other academies"-
"Mom," I said, a sad half-smile forming on my face. I loved my mom, and I was so beyond ecstatic to have her back, but I think we both knew I was too deep into the world of gods to just up and leave to go back to school in the fall like some normal kid.
She lowered her eyes. "I'm trying, Percy. I just... I need some time."
I thought about triggering Hestia's powers but ultimately decided against it. What sort of hero would I be if I couldn't even comfort my own mom without the help of some magic powers?
"It'll be okay, mom," I said, reaching into my pocket. My fingers closed around the keys. "I know it will."
Her eyes widened as I placed the keys in her hand. "Percy- Hither Hills? That's in Montauk! How…"
"Aunt Hestia and Dad," I nodded at her. The look on her face somehow made all of this worth it. The Chimera, Ares, Medusa- I'd go through all of it a thousand more times if it meant seeing my mom this happy after years of worry and anguish. "I could come to visit from time to time, and Hestia and Aphrodite could drop in on you, too."
"I…I'm not sure," My mom replied, wiping a stray tear down her cheek. A small, watery smile appeared on her face. "Your father tried to do something like this for me, once."
"And what's wrong with that?" I asked, my eyebrows raising. I remembered vaguely all of those conversations I promised myself I'd have with my mom. All of the things I wanted to say, wanted to ask. The timing just didn't seem right. I'd just gotten her back...they could wait.
She wiped a stray tear off of her cheek. "I think you know, Percy. I think you're enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me...or my son. I have to find courage on my own. Your quest has reminded me of that."
"Just…keep it in mind," I really wanted her to take the offer, but she was right- I did understand. I knew she felt like she owed it to herself to take control of her life. "I know you want to find some sort of closure or courage on your own, but please just keep it in mind."
She looked pale, but she nodded. "Where will you go, Percy?"
My answer was immediate. "Half-Blood Hill. At least, for a bit. I've been running around a lot so I'd like to chill for a bit before going to Atlantis."
"Okay," My mom said uncertainly. She looked around Gabe's apartment, crossing her arms. "I need to grab some things from here…but then maybe, just maybe, I'll go to Hither Hills."
"Okay, mom," I said, grabbing her into another hug. "I should go."
"I know, baby," My mom held me at an arm's length. She slowly leaned in and kissed my forehead. "You'll be a hero, Percy. You'll be the greatest of them all."
AN: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the later update, but my relatives spontaneously decided to visit my family because they felt lonely in the middle of a global pandemic- claiming that they never left the house.
It's almost like you're supposed to stay inside and never leave the house! And who wouldn't love to sleep on the couch and not be able to play video games or write for the entire week!
Okay, sorry, sorry. I'll try not to complain anymore, but I am annoyed as hell.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming, I really only have two major things here:
First, thank you guys for all of your tips about the story. I really, truly enjoyed reading every review and I've picked up some new tendencies as a result.
-When it comes to OCs, I'm trying to take further time to develop their character.
What are they doing here? How do they relate to Percy? Are they absolutely crucial to the advancement of plot, or are they there just to be there? How do they talk? How will they help Percy grow?
Things like that.
I got numerous reviews pointing out that Piper's character was underdeveloped, and, truth be told, I agree with you guys. She was kind of a means to an end, and I don't want to have a repeat of that, so I'm taking the time to painstakingly develop the Atlantis arc in my head and on paper before I write it out.
-I don't want to have any random characters, or any events just for plot advancement.
I have a lot of the arc done in my head. I'm planning out the character development on the side right now, trying to map out how people are going to intersect. There will be twists, turns, but they'll be able to be solved by really paying attention- it won't seem like they randomly dropped out of nowhere.
This first arc was sort of like an introduction to my story, but at the same time, it was my introduction into writing stories like this, too. I really appreciate all of the reviews, because I think I can use your guys' advice to improve, which, at the end of the day, is all I really want to do.
For now, those are the two things I'm going to be focusing on the most. Thank you again to everyone giving me advice. The Atlantis arc is definitely going to be absolutely crazy…I've been drawing inspiration from all kinds of places and fleshing it out, so I hope you guys are ready!
Secondly: The support on this story is insane, to say the least. 28k views? 600+ follows? I'm humbled and surprised, to say the least. I'll keep trying to give you guys some quality content. Now, then…onto my favorite part!
The Sound Shaman: Thank you! Your rant about the Oxford comma was incredibly entertaining, so no worries there. I hope you're well!
Posaitan: Welcome back, man! I missed you! Limited blessings definitely appear to be the move, and I'm glad you think so! I'm not sure how it'll be when the gods see Percy again, because the Atlantis arc is going to be crazy in terms of emotional and physical growth for our hero.
Jacksonion Democracy: I agree with a lot of your points, actually. I appreciate you pointing some of this stuff out because I really would like to improve to the point where hopefully none of that stuff really happens anymore. I'm glad it isn't a deal breaker!
Kuman: Official answer- Percy was caught up in the heat of the moment and didn't want to use his trump card. The real answer- it would be boring to read, lol. I'm not sure if you know, but in PJ and the Greek gods, I think it's canon that Amphitrite actually likes Percy, even going as far as baking him cookies from time to time.
Oliversdtrange76: Good question. I'll give a somewhat vague answer, here. I'll go as far as you guys want me to go- within reason. As long as people will be here, I'll keep writing this story. All kinds of crossovers could happen. Just saying.
Glrasshopper: Thank you! Artemis and her hunters are going to have a field day with Percy, believe me!
Camponotus: Let me preface this by saying I think this is one of the longest, most in-depth reviews I've ever received. Thank you- but, I assure you, you don't need to spend that much time writing a review. I appreciate it so much, though, and I promise your language was fine.
Onto the actual contents of the review. I agree with you, completely. Honestly, Piper's character does definitely come off a bit weird, even to me, but I used her for the sole purpose of plot advancement, which was a mistake. It really did cut tension in places where it shouldn't have, and we don't see much out of her. This is definitely due to the fact that I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and then impulsively ran with the Aphrodite storyline without planning anything out.
Maybe there are some writers out there capable of just writing off the dome like that, but to achieve my maximum quality, I know now that I need to plan things out. I will definitely be using your advice in the future, so thank you so much!
Huntingkiddo13: Thank you! I try my best, for sure. As for that ability, I think it's really cool, if not a little above his skill level at the moment. You do give me some ideas, though…
Miltonius: Up to!
Falconfighter1427: Hi! I love your ideas, and I see myself doing something like that in the future, for sure. Special Armor is going to add a whole new element to the game when Percy gets some!
Evyplayz121: I won't lie, I've never read Percy Jackson and The Game. I've read other works by that author, but I don't want to read that particular one in fear that I'll accidentally rip off the most popular Gamer!Percy story and have a bunch of angry fans in my reviews.
Landex: Right? Some fics just have constant numbers, like reading binary, or something. I try to keep everyone cognizant of the fact that it's a guy with gaming powers, not an actual game. Percy 100% needs that One Punch Man routine lmao
Yesirsski: Thank you, my man! I hope this one finds you well. Atlantis…well, I'll be real. Atlantis is going to be a gritty arc. Poseidon, realizing his son is the child of prophecy, is going to have Percy fight alongside him in the war against Oceanus. Get ready for an arc full of EXP, training, and betrayal!
XenonDark: Holy. Shit. Do you want a kiss, or something, for that review? That was so beautifully crafted, so well-made, it damn near brought tears to my eyes. You've been here since the start- don't think I'm ever going to forget that. I appreciate you so much, my guy.
Thank you for not holding back, though. The absolute best part of your review was the character section. You're right- I'm operating under the impression that everyone here has some sort of pre-existing idea of what these characters are and how they act due to the fact that they've read PJO- but this isn't PJO. My Piper isn't Rick's Piper. My Hera isn't Rick's Hera. They're different characters, through and through, and I need to do a better job explaining them, instead of just going off the assumption that everyone here knows what I mean. Thank you for that.
Also- thank you for your praise. I know I'm not bad but damn man- you think I'm that high up, already? I have a long way to go- I know that. Maybe someday I'll snag that #1 spot.
kyuubi7: Thank you! This arc is going to be something, for sure. I'll just say…I've gotten a lot of inspiration from anime. Will I say which? No…
See you all very soon. Thanks again for the continued support.
-Maroon
EDIT (4/20/21): Grammar + Dialouge :)
EDIT (2/27/22): Small stuff.
