"All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

they have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,"

-William Shakespeare


"I still don't think it's a good idea for you to go down there so early," Hestia instructed, patting me on the cheek. Her mouth was hidden behind her brown shawl, but I could tell she was frowning. "Make sure to stay out of trouble."

"I will," I promised, trying to fight the smile that was forming on my face. Unlike her, I couldn't be more excited!

After a long few weeks, my time to go to Atlantis was finally here! Hestia was acting as my convoy, "handing me off" at the banks of the lake by Camp Half-Blood. According to my dad, the lake is connected to the ocean from somewhere down the coastline.

I was instructed to just step in, go a little deep, and the rest would be clear.

Riptide and my new spear, Malice, were strapped to my back in an X position. The ratty bow that I snagged from the camp armory when no one was looking was sitting somewhere in my inventory, along with a bronze dagger.

The rest of my summer had been pretty eventful. I got to level up my stats a bit more, and I learned how to use a couple of different weapons.

Malice, for example, was a parting gift from Clarisse-my ever so loving teacher- after I demolished her in a one-on-one spear fight. According to her, Ares gave her the spear, and it was made out of some conductive material, or something.

I didn't pay much attention to her explanation. All I cared about was that I could channel fire into it. My powers let me use fire underwater, too, since anything I touched remained dry, so it worked out great.

"I will watch your mother. I believe Aphrodite paid her a visit a while ago, to help her move some of the furniture," Hestia continued, an amused expression forming on her face at my look of disbelief.

The only sound for a few moments was the sound of crickets chirping somewhere off in the distance, followed by the soft crashing of waves on the shore. "Aphrodite met my mom? And helped her move in?"

And she wasn't afraid of chipping a nail? Or getting her designer clothes dirty?

Well, in her defense, Aphrodite probably just levitated all of the stuff while trading embarrassing stories of me with my mother.

Not that she had that many, if any. My mother, on the other hand…she takes baby pictures to a whole new level.

The last time I brought a friend over, I went to use the bathroom and came back to the two of them laughing over one of the multiple baby albums of me. That would've been fine, normally, but my mom had albums of literally every single thing I did as a baby.

The picture in question they were looking at was a childhood recreation of the birth of Aphrodite with me on a couch cushion wearing Chuck E. Cheese sunglasses and a fedora covering…certain parts of my body.

I have no doubt in my mind that Aphrodite will never let me live that one down. At least it's better than the Nymphs and Satyrs photo- I've never looked at action figures the same way since that one.

I shuddered. My mom and Aphrodite together were a terrifying combo.

"She did. I believe she provided a wonderfully crafted painting from Florence," Hestia confirmed, drawing me out of my thoughts. This time, I saw her eyes crinkle. "She's in good hands, my champion."

Pushing down my distrust of deities, for now, I nodded. Sincerely, I said, "Thank you, my lady. I should be off."

"You should," Hestia repeated, wrapping me in one final hug. "Be safe."

"I will," I promised, waving at her as I started to walk into the water. Despite the chill of the night, it felt pleasant against my body.

She called after me, "See you in a month!"

My head dipped under the water.

I walked down into the shoals. I marveled at how I could see through the murk. I've never really messed around with this aspect of my powers, but maybe I should've been. I've been getting a lot of that feeling recently.

It's never fun to admit when you're wrong- especially for me. I'm the most stubborn guy around. It is what it is, though.

The water didn't even feel like water. It felt much more like air but denser. I didn't feel the wetness or the liquid-like properties of the sea, but rather, it swirled around my entire body, writhing and churning around me like an invisible vortex.

It was a truly otherworldly feeling. I mean, I guess I was technically in another world, but still.

I could tell where everything was. It reminded me, oddly enough, of this one time I downloaded aimbot on a Call of Duty game. Just without the oddly colored squares around things.

Everything just seemed highlighted to me. The world down here was so vibrant, so beautiful. It was like I spent my whole life looking at the world through smudged lenses, but now I had an HD filter on.

I could sense the rolling texture of the bottom. I could make out sand-dollar colonies dotting the sandbars. I could even see the currents, warm and cold streams swirling together. I felt the well of power inside me grow as I continued deeper into the murk.

I felt something rub against my leg. I looked down and almost shot out of the water like a ballistic missile. Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long mako shark.

But the thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling me. Heeling like a dog. Tentatively, I touched its dorsal fin.

It bucked a little as if inviting me to hold tighter. I grabbed the fin with both hands. It took off, pulling me along. The shark carried me down into the darkness.

Offhandedly, I felt the warmth of Thalia's protection slowly dissipate from my bones as the ocean chill settled in- monsters could attack me at any moment now. I steeled myself, glancing around at the ocean as the shark carried me lower and lower.

A few more moments passed, and it deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sandbank dropped off into a huge chasm.

It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there.

I felt the call of my father from down in the cavern. If I really strained my vision, I could make out a small light in the depths.

Sort of a blinking green light. I couldn't tell if it was getting closer or brighter.

A small smile curled at the side of my mouth. I felt vaguely like Gatsby right now, just waiting on the green light to do something.

Isn't that what he did? Stare at the green light or something? What did that light even end up being?

Maybe I should've paid attention to the rest of the book. I just lost all interest when my teacher started saying it represented something like love or whatever- it's a damn light.

I was drawn out of my thoughts as a woman's voice called: "Percy Jackson."

The voice came from the light, which was now clearly getting closer. The light faded a bit, and I could make out a vaguely humanoid form inside of the darkness of the ocean.

As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. It glistened in one of the few rays of moonlight that somehow made their way down here.

The light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful I hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding.

At first, anyway. It's sort of tough to keep consciously ignoring something like that.

She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag. The underwater lady smiled at me. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done."

"Thank you, my lady," I said respectfully, dropping my head. Hestia drilled some of the Atlantean customs into me before I got down here for situations just like this.

My best guess was that this woman was a Nereid- a spirit of the sea. They served in my dad's court, which I guess technically made me their master, but I wasn't about to lord over people just because I could.

A little respect went a long way. Plus, the last thing I want is to piss off some sea spirit so much they make my life hell down here.

I've heard some scary stories about what pissed off water spirits can do to unsuspecting people.

"It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born," The Nereid smiled softly. Her seahorse pal returned, the mako shark still swimming alongside it. "We have watched you with great interest, prince."

"I can only hope I haven't disappointed," I replied politely as she got back on her seahorse and beckoned for me to join her.

"On the contrary," She replied smoothly, grabbing reigns on the seahorse that I hadn't even noticed before. "You've gotten yourself quite some fans. Come. Your father awaits."

I climbed on its back, my brain trying to work out how it could handle all this weight, when suddenly, it shot downwards, blazing through the ocean at speeds I could barely register.

There were a few minutes of silence as we went streaking down into the ocean, the light of the moon disappearing behind us. Pretty soon, the only light in the vicinity was the light that the Nereid was giving off.

How did she even know where we were going?

"Brace yourself," The Nereid warned. Out of nowhere, a dome-like structure made of a turquoise glass appeared in the distance. "The first entry is always the hardest."

"Okay," I replied, wondering if we were going to shatter through the glass.

The seahorse, on the other hand, didn't even falter. Props to him. Maybe they trained all of their seahorses to smash into structures at breakneck speeds.

We smashed into the dome, but to my surprise, it didn't shatter. It stretched and moved back and forth like Jello as we went shooting past it.

The wind-or water, I guess- was knocked out of my lungs. My ears popped. I had to blink a few times.

It felt like a linebacker rammed into my body with a pillow. It didn't hurt that much per se, but I felt the cold pressure of something settle into my bones.

"Welcome, young prince," She whispered. "To Atlantis."

I…wow. The first moment I laid my eyes on Atlantis, every single word I'd ever learned left my brain. The pressure on my chest seemed insignificant.

Atlantis was easily as big as the city on Mount Olympus, if not double its size.

Wide courtyards and columned pavilions jutted out from the seafloor, shining brightly. Species of jellyfish I'd never seen before floated about, basking the surrounding area in soft, multicolored lighting. Nereids sat in the courtyards, talking, playing. Some of them walked around with smaller nereids, laughing happily at one thing or another.

I craned my neck. Higher, by the dome, there were enormous humpback whales with carriages attached to their bodies. Manta Rays the size of small blimps glided over us, their shadows bathing us in darkness.

We rode lower, stopping for a moment as our seahorse neighed at some of the fish swimming by. I scooped my hand into the ground, marveling at the feeling of it. It was like holding one of those slippery things from Rainforest Café-it would slide and coat my hands, twirling and twisting at my very touch.

Compared to the upper world, everything down here felt so alive.

I could feel the call to this place from inside of me. I felt the dormant power inside so much of Atlantis, waiting for me to call upon it.

I exhaled slowly, letting some of my mana seep out of my hand. Not even a moment later, the ground beneath us began to glow softly.

You see, the entire floor was covered in sand, but unlike the sand on the beach, this sand was a lilac shade, with small gems and multicolored sparkles throughout.

At my touch, these sparkles shone brightly. My power almost animated them, as they went traipsing off into the distance, glittering like a school of tiny fish.

Off into the distance, one of the little girls who was in the courtyard pointed at the seahorse we rode in on. She excitedly said something to her parents, who turned back, waving at us like we were one of those floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

I waved back, uncertainly.

The Nereid in front of me smiled regally at them. After a moment, she said, "As I mentioned, my prince, you have your supporters. A lot of the younger children, especially, are excited to meet you."

Younger children? I knew my status as the son of Poseidon would grant me some sort of recognition, but that just made me feel like I was some sort of an action hero out of a kid's movie series.

I swallowed back my nervousness. "I see. I don't think I've done much to warrant that."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not," She said, the seahorse picking up speed again as we started moving through the streets of Atlantis. "Whether you truly believe it or not, they do. That's all that matters, is it not?"

I couldn't argue with that. Instead, I looked around as we galloped- er, swam- towards what I assumed to be my dad's palace.

Twenty or thirty buildings made of abalone rose all around us as we entered the upper city level, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows, chasing after each other.

The gardens I could see were full of exotic sea plants and coral colonies, with luminescent jellyfish drifting about like Christmas lights. I was drawn out of my thoughts as the seahorse stopped abruptly.

We were in front of a gigantic, gleaming building. White columns of sparkling marble jutted out of the ground, connecting to a large, Parthenon-like structure. There was a constant hum, like the sound of a generator running.

The mana was obvious, even to my naked eye. I saw the rivulets flowing upwards, through, and around the pillars, framing an even larger dome-like skeleton of multicolored mana.

Strands of colors, swirling like the rainbow flowed from the dome, crisscrossing a few hundred feet in the air, right on the glass-like shield we came through earlier.

It was like one of those plasma globes you got from the arcades- the ones where it had a bunch of lines shooting out from the middle, and they'd all be attracted to your finger when you touched anywhere on the dome.

This must be what kept that monstrosity running.

"Your father's power," The Nereid noted, not surprised by my mana detection skill. "It protects his land from any foreign attacks."

"That's amazing," I mumbled, meaning every word. That level of power was mind-boggling. By my estimation, I could use all of my mana a hundred times over before generating enough to fuel that shield thing for even a second.

Just how much power did he have?

"We will go on foot from here," The Nereid said, floating off of the seahorse. I nodded, hopping off of the seahorse.

"Thanks," I said, tentatively patting the gigantic snout of the seahorse.

You're welcome, my lord, I heard as it darted away, presumably to the stables somewhere. Shy little fella.

"May I ask your name, my lady?" I turned my attention to the Nereid. It just occurred to me that I didn't even know who she was- I just randomly agreed to go with her. She could've been a supporter of Oceanus, or something.

I could've ridden that gigantic seahorse right into a trap.

Dumb move on my part. Really dumb move.

"Fret not. If I meant you harm, I believe you would've known," She smiled as if she knew what was running through my head. "As for your question, you may. My name is Amphinome, my lord."

Gamer's Mind kept my eyes from bulging. Amphinome? Like the Amphinome?

Like, mother of one of the greatest heroes of all time, stabbed herself with a sword, Amphinome?

My dad sure knew how to pick his workers. That interview must've been so awkward.

What gives you the qualifications to serve in my court?

Well, my lord, I sired Jason and then ran myself through with a sword. Oh, also, I used my dying breath to curse the king.

You're hired!

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Amphinome," I replied pleasantly as we walked towards the hall.
Any lady who uses her dying breath to curse someone is alright in my book.

"Believe me, young lord," Amphinome said, her voice gaining a smooth undertone. "The pleasure is all mine."

I blinked.

Nereids and Naiads are terrible flirts, Annabeth had once told me.

She was right. Amphinome's hips swayed a little more noticeably as she started walking in front of me.

Amphinome led me through a gigantic entrance hall, the ceilings stretching out, much higher than I expected.

The walls were lined with bronze, a complete change from the regal marble that made up the outside of the hall.

My sneakers squeaked against the shining floors.

Amphinome stopped as we reached a set of double doors. "This is the dining hall. Your father and some of the royal family are currently eating."

"I see," I said, feeling a little nervous. I took another look at Amphinome's dress, and back at my jeans and black jacket.

I'm no fashion pro, but even I know my outfit isn't made for this kind of stuff. Could I have maybe dressed a little better? Sure.

I also had two weapons strapped to my back. If anything, I look more like an assassin sent to kill Poseidon, not his son.

Look, I'm going for utility. Not fashion.

"I am not permitted to go in. I live in the west wing of the palace," Amphinome said, gesturing towards another hallway a few yards away from our current spot. She leaned forward, brushing some nonexistent lint off of my shoulder while also giving me a generous look down her dress. "Do come by."

And with that, she walked away.

Zeus. That woman was a straight MI- nope, Jason's mom, Jason's mom, Jason's mom. I can't walk into a room full of my relatives turned on!

Shaking all of the not-so-PG thoughts out of my head, I pushed forward on the thick doors, entering the dining hall.

Immediately, I was assaulted by an overload of malicious intent, as a stream of mana shot towards me. All thoughts of Amphinome in a bikini flew out of my head as my battle instincts kicked in.

I rolled under it easily, the mana fizzling out against the walls of the dining hall. Malice was already off of my back as a sword came shooting towards me.

[STORY] Quest Alert!

The Greatest Showman!

You have arrived in your father's court, only to be challenged by one of his commanders! Put on a show until your father decides to step in!

Time Limit: 5 MINUTES!

Rewards:

+40,000 EXP!

+10 REP with The Royal Family!

Failure:

Embarrassment!

[YES/NO]

Survive for 5 minutes? I can do that.

"Ha!" I grunted, Malice spinning in my hand as I deflected the slash. I turned to face my opponent, noting that my dad was behind him, sitting on the table with a smile on his face.

Delta [LEADER OF THE FOURTH QUADRANT]

LV- 145

HP-1,000,000/1,000,000

MP- 390,570/400,000

Delta is the squad of the 4th Quadrant, the espionage division within the Atlantean Army. He is widely known as their strongest soldier, having been under the tutelage of Poseidon since he was a small child.

Fwoosh!

Malice lit on fire as I deflected another slash from Delta. No one batted an eye- oh wait, that's right. They've been watching me, so they know my abilities. Nothing will surprise them too much.

4:42:34

My eyes narrowed at him as he took a step back, circling me, trying to figure me out. The art of battle really was like chess.

The art of battle and strategy went hand in hand. According to one of the ancient tomes written by Athena herself, any sort of true battle potential was a mix of a couple of different things.

She called it her four principles of battle.

Strategy, experience, power, and mana.

Mana, mana, mana.

Everything came back to mana- which made me wonder. Why weren't more demigods aware of it?

I parried another slash from Delta, this time twisting my spear and grazing his sword hand with the flaming tip.

-600 HP!

Burn afflicted!

-5000 HP over the next 5 MINUTES!

5% chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed!

Strategy was easy enough. You might think strategy and experience are the same things, but I'll be the first to tell you- they're not.

The strategy of a battle is more like the ability to problem-solve. How fast can you find a solution to a problem? If I don't give you context and tell you something, how quickly can you work your way through it? It's how fluid you are in your thinking, how immovably unshakeable your logic is.

On the battlefield, this sort of ability is never overestimated. You'd be surprised how much of fighting is just memorization. The angles of the slashes, the pivot of your opponent's feet- this all boils down to knowing some numbers and patterns and putting them to work in the real world.

Like now, for example.

I mean, come on. It's clear to all of us that Delta is a good fighter. You read his summary just like I did- it looks like he's one of the strongest fighters my dad's got. He's got years and years of experience on me, but he hasn't gotten a hit off.

Why is that?

To be fair, I doubt he's trying as hard as he can. It wouldn't be a good look for him if he beat his king's son into the ground the moment he walked in the door.

Despite his effort level, I still have to take him seriously. There's just one thought in my head, rolling back and forth:

He can't touch me.

This is the true advantage of a spear. Delta is definitely taller than me, and much stronger, but he's using a sword.

3:22:19

To deal insane amounts of damage with his sword, he'd need to get in close to me. He'd need to slash my chest or my arms.

The only obstacle in his way? The spear offers much more range than the sword. Not to mention, my spear is dripping flames.

There's the strategy.

I know I'm toast if he gets in close, so I'm keeping him just barely out of reach. That way, I can hit him without putting myself at too much risk.

Experience, on the other hand, is the direct opposite of strategy. Whereas the strategy of the battle could be learned from a book, experience can only be built from battle after battle.

You can't learn how to fight from a book. You can be the most devout follower of a certain style, a specific weapon- but if you don't know how to use it in real life, you'll be decimated.

Not to mention, not all books are written by the actual creators of the styles. In the olden days, not everyone could read and write- some of the most skilled warriors went their whole lives without seeing their names on paper.

Because of this, some of the books are altered. Whether it's due to misinterpretation or mistranslation, many of the books written about battle don't hold up too well in the heat of a fight.

Delta spun his sword in his hands, sending a shockwave of mana at me again. The floor of the dining hall rippled, like a pond after a stone was thrown in the middle of it. I grinned, throwing my spear at his left side as hard as I could.

Death Drop!

Oh, boy. No one was expecting this one. I disappeared from my spot across from Delta, spinning out of thin air behind him, Riptide lit on fire. The water all around me propelled me, shooting me towards him even faster.

I grinned- they might know my moves, but they don't know my brain!

I smashed into him.

-250 MP!

- (((.2 * 40) + 40) x 100) + 2500= 7300 HP!

10% chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed!

Crack!

Delta went flying into the wall, his body rocking against the bronze metal.

2:49:38

Centuries of scholars have debated this for years, but there still isn't a clear winner. Do you value the ability to dissect your opponent's style and pick apart their defenses, or do you trust your own intuition and let your body keep moving on its own?

The answer, well, my answer is that you do both. I just showed you.

Delta's swordsmanship is deadly for sure, but he also favors long-range mana blasts. That makes him a threat from both close and far, so I have to pick my poison with him to survive this battle.

I might have some insane abilities, but I'm nowhere near the power of some of these other people yet.

Logically, I should stay away from him if I want to win. However, as someone who is quite skilled with a sword, I know that I can also invade his personal space to deal some damage if I do it right.

The books won't tell you this, but using a sword with your right hand is actually detrimental, overall. If your opponent pushes from your left side, your next attack will have to travel across your body instead of right in front of it.

When I disappeared, I knew I'd be right behind Delta in a manner of a second or two. The danger was that there was a very real chance that he'd be able to turn around and stop my attack in its tracks.

That's why I knowingly threw my spear at his left side- I knew he'd have to move his sword across his body to deflect the hit, giving me all the time in the world to hit my Death Drop!

Strategy and experience, hand in hand. I picked up Malice, sheathing it on my back. I twirled Riptide in my hands a couple of times as I waited for him to get up. Might as well test that swordsmanship.

"Not bad," Delta commented, wiping some blood from his mouth. He rolled his neck and stretched his arms out as a grin formed on his face. "Let's kick it up a notch, shall we, my lord?"

I mirrored his expression. "I thought you'd never ask."

2:12:27

The third principle: power.

Clang!

Delta and I met in the middle, our swords colliding in a shower of sparks. I felt him push against me as Riptide began to shake a little.

Up close, I could see under his helmet. Amber eyes looked back at me with a serious, if not slightly impressed expression.

Athena's third principle of battle was perhaps the least important. I know what you're thinking, but let me stop you there.

Power is sort of like buying a high-end pc. When you're talking budget, the first two thousand or so dollars make all the difference.

A $400 build compared to a $1000 build? Come on. You're going to want the $1000 build everyday of the week- it'll run better, look better.

I broke the stalemate, dropping low and slashing downwards. If I was lucky, I'd catch him lacking and cut right into his upper thigh.

He parried my slash, aiming a strike for my face. I ducked under it easily, trying to kick out his leg from underneath him.

I smashed my sneaker into the backside of his knee.

-1000 HP!

Delta snarled, switching stances fluidly, completely ignoring my attempt to catch him off balance. He lunged forward, stepping on my Converse with his heavily armored foot.

Ouch.

-1500 HP!

My leg went a little weak at that hit, and Delta capitalized, making me see stars with a vicious bash from the hilt of his sword.

-3500 HP!

"Not bad," I echoed Delta's words from earlier with a smile, ignoring the ringing sound in my ears. My head felt like it was hit by a metal chair.

Where were we? Oh yeah, pcs. Take it a step further. A $2000 build will be even better. You'll be able to run any game you want on the highest settings, without worrying about any sort of overheating or frame loss.

Past that, though, you're starting to lose some money. You've already reached an insanely high level of performance.

I'm not saying your pc won't be better if you spend more money. A more expensive build is better, yes, but marginally so. You can keep spending money all you want, but your performance will only get a little bit better each time.

To put it simply, it'll plateau. Eventually, you'll end up spending much more money on a pc that does just a bit better than a slightly cheaper one.

1:10:16

Power is kind of like that, too.

At the earlier stages, power makes all the difference. If you look at me compared to your average twelve-year-old, for example, the difference in power between us is so wide, it easily wins me that battle, regardless of their strategy or experience.

Similarly, if you look at me and then at someone like Hercules, he'd probably overpower me very quickly. I've never met the guy, but for the sake of example, he does the job.

The only thing is, the higher you get up in the food chain, so to speak, the more power falls off, just like our pc example.

Take my dad, for example, versus Ares. Ares, without a doubt, has the most physical power out of everyone on Olympus. He's the literal embodiment of war. It's like fighting an atomic bomb in a humanoid shell.

Against my dad, though? Ares would get his leather-clad ass handed to him. Fast.

While Ares has an insane amount of power, my dad has just enough that it doesn't make a difference.

He doesn't have nearly enough power as Ares, yes, but he's got enough that Ares' insane amount of power won't automatically decide the battle in his favor.

While he might have more power than my dad, my dad has more strategy and experience, no doubt. Even if those two aspects of them are similar, the mana difference isn't even close.

My dad, based on what I've seen, has one of the largest pools of mana in existence. He can obliterate anyone.

I began charging mana in my left hand as I eyed Delta warily. I knew the battle was going to be over soon, but I wasn't trying to take any chances.

All of that EXP would level me up- I haven't leveled up since my fight with Ares, which felt like it was ages ago! I need this.

-100 MP!

-100 MP!

-100 MP…

And, our final principle: mana.

The most important principle for last...

Mana is essentially the life force of everything.

According to Hestia, mana is formed by combining two other energies: physical energy and spiritual energy.

Physical energy is sort of like your stamina and durability. You can increase this through training and exertion, whereas spiritual energy is only increased by experience and meditation.

I don't know much about the theory of mana, but I do know its uses. You can use mana for literally anything.

Shoot it out of your hands like our friend Delta? Sure.

Use your own to meditate and see everyone else's? Yeah, why not?

Charging it into different parts of your body for all kinds of different results? Yep.

Mana can decide a battle in a second. If you have more mana than your opponent, 9 times out of 10, you should win that battle.

Mana can fortify your body. It can make you stronger, faster, more durable than previously possible. If you're skilled enough, you can literally yank someone else's mana out of their body, leaving them feeling weak and drained.

Against a mana monster like my dad, most beings wouldn't stand a chance. If he really wanted to, he could bring everyone in Atlantis to their knees in a moment.

I have yet to see another being like him fight, and I truly hope I never do. That's the kind of battle that you don't usually walk away from.

0:13:16

Time to end this.

I ran at Delta, my entire left fist glowing blue with the familiar hum of mana emitting from it. Delta raised his sword but then threw it into the ground.

Wait, what? What sort of move was that?

He ran towards me, jumping into the air. To my surprise, his sword went shooting out of the ground and into his hands as he brought it down in a sparkling slash.

A fine distraction. He really crossed me with that one! Unluckily for him…time means nothing to me.

The clock on the top right of my vision stopped ticking as I entered Accelerate and used my Time Dilation at the same time. Everyone's movements began slowing down.

My movements streaked in this sped-up bubble of time. My body blurred.

I flashed behind Delta, time slowed to a near standstill. His head barely started moving to face me as I slammed my fist into his lower back.

-8600 HP!

Delta's armor crumpled under my punch, the teal metal curling around my hand. There was an audible crunch as Delta went careening into the wall, the force of the impact causing one of the chandeliers to shake.

"That's quite enough," My dad decided to step in, his sea-green eyes sparkling with mirth. Yeah, yeah. Leave it to him to step in when his dining hall starts getting wrecked. "Delta, I trust you've tested my son enough?"

Prize for victory: $500 or 125D.

Monetary reward payout set as DOLLAR.

"Yes, my lord," Delta replied, standing up and walking over to his spot on the table, completely unbothered, despite the mess we'd just made.

I fought the twitch in my left eye. I did all of that just for him to get up and shrug it off? I knew he was holding back, but that was just insulting.

I even had my own little monologue- I felt like a whole badass!

"You fought well," Poseidon said pleasantly, his arms outstretched. I took a quick look around the room and saw that everyone was looking at me expectantly.

I knelt at the spot I was standing, my eyes trained on the floor. Look man, I don't get why the Greeks are so big on kneeling, either.

I just sort of do what I'm told.

Plus, Hestia told me, there was some sort of ritual I'd have to take part in when I got here, something about being recognized by the ocean as one of its true heirs.

A bunch of pretentious nonsense, if you ask me. Anyways…

"Prince Perseus," Poseidon boomed, the room deadly quiet. "We have watched your conquests, seen your journey. Can anyone refute the fact that my son is worthy?"

Silence. Pure silence. Even Delta, now taking off his helm, shot me a grin.

My dad cleared his throat and shot me a cautious look. "Be still."

It was beautiful. One by one, every single member of the table started singing. There weren't any audible words, though. It was like the Whos in Whoville around the Christmas tree.

As everyone began singing more and more, I felt my body go rigid. A sudden weight settled over my body like there was an invisible hippo sitting on my shoulders. It wasn't painful, or unpleasant, though. It just…was.

Little beads of mana started forming in front of everyone, growing from the size of little almonds to tennis balls, to the size of a small dog. They slowly floated towards my dad, who had his own mana ball.

Ball. Ball.

His "ball" was more of a pulsing, multicolored mass of mana that was the size of my mom's old minivan. It gave off a visible heat, sparking some of the silverware on the table.

Was I about to be blasted?

Poseidon smiled. "Then, let me be the first to officially welcome you to your b"-

The door slammed open.

"You could never know what it's like…your blood like winter freezes just like ice and there's a cold lonely light that shines from you," A voice belted out from behind me. I couldn't move my body, but the look on my dad's face spoke volumes.

He looked annoyed. More annoyed than I'd ever seen him before.

"You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use!" The voice continued, and I felt someone's hands wrap around my shoulders. The stench of alcohol reached my nose. "And did you think this fool could never win? Well look at me, I'm coming back again, I got a taste of love in a simple way…and if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away!"

Wait a damn minute. That was Elton John! My mom used to sing this song around Christmas when I was a kid.

Poseidon sighed loudly, the mana still flowing off of his body. "Triton…"

Triton? The dude rubbing on me like a cat and singing Elton John was supposed to be Triton, the powerful god and rightful heir of the seas?

"Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did! Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid!" Triton hollered, skipping in front of me with his guitar. "I'm still standing after all this time…picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind! I'm still standing!"

Triton started running alongside the table, whacking everyone's goblets and plates as he screamed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

As my dad's nostrils flared, I closed my eyes to the sounds of Triton's guitar slamming into random things.

Atlantis was…something.


[STORY] Quest Complete!

The Greatest Showman!

You have arrived in your father's court, only to be challenged by one of his commanders! Put on a show until your father decides to step in!

Time Limit: 5 MINUTES!

Rewards:

+40,000 EXP!

+10 REP with The Royal Family!


AN: And just like that…Atlantis has begun! I hope you guys enjoy it! Just a little intro chapter! The next chapter will have some training, and some enemies and friends will be revealed! All I will really say is that I'd pay attention to most things. I heard you guys loud and clear about the first arc, so I've taken your advice on this second one.

Every character acts a certain way for a reason. The environment, the dialogue- everything is a clue. Certain things are symbolic. Certain things need some thinking. Certain things are there to throw you off.

Maybe if you guys ask, I'll tell some of the hidden things. There were certainly some in this chapter. Good luck looking, though!

As always, thank you for your continued support and interest in this story! I'd write it even if there was no one here, but I do enjoy having you all here!

Onto my favorite part:

Guest: Yes, I agree with you! As you said, Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty. He would definitely always choose to save his family over the world, not even a question.

chikin nuggets: Hi! No, Percy won't be a selfish person. He will, for the near future, be a lot more confident and sure of himself. I'm sure this arc will certainly affect that…

Jowasut: HAHA, I'm glad I had you there for a second. I wrote it that way on purpose, cause I figured reading it would be really frustrating and frustrating, and then bam! Surprise!

Guest: I half agree with you and half don't. While you're correct that the children of Aphrodite should be the ones to do most of the "making her comfortable" part, Percy wasn't right to just ignore her (even unknowingly) after everything they went through. Not that I blame him, though. He had a lot on his plate.

BlackjaxCXXIII: Thank you :)! A huge thing for me in this story is making sure Percy doesn't get too strong too fast. I've upped the power scaling and tweaked with the chracters to make sure he won't be truly godlike until he reaches his later teen years.

Kuman: All in good time, my man. All in good time.

Posaitan: Hello! It's all good man, but I hope you're doing alright! If you need to talk, or anyone who's reading this needs to, my PMs are always open! Thank you, though! I hope it lives up to the hype! This is just an intro, of course, but I've got some good stuff planned.

DD: Hello! I think you misunderstand. I don't mind messages that point out my errors- I love them, actually! Improving my writing is a big thing for me, it's actually the main reason I reply to some of my reviews like this! You can write a positive review pointing out errors. You can write a passionate review and still be civil. What I don't accept is random messages just spouting off violent and creepy things- those don't help anyone.

Guest: Piper won't be a main villain! Some people rightfully pointed out that I've sort of left Piper's character as a boring side-piece with no personality, so I figured I'd give her a good character arc!

Hemera: Hello! Nah, I'll never give this story up. I love it too much!

Murtylian: Hey! Primarily, Perseus won't have a fatal flaw. It's sort of the point of Gamer's Mind, it helps keep his emotions and thoughts in check. But, if you had to choose anything as his fatal flaw, it would still be loyalty. The needs of many over the needs of one.

Chrislgerlach: Who knows! You could be onto something…

eman1211: I don't think I've heard of that story! I'll need to check it out! Thank you for your kind words though- I'm not going anywhere until this story is complete!

WhiteWolf65: He didn't give it up! The laurel was in the Big House so Percy couldn't walk in and get it, so he sent Annabeth cause she's Chiron's favorite camper, but then she came up with the idea for the competition.

BLACK FLAME09: I'm sorry to hear that! I'll just use this as an opportunity to say that this Percy is clearly different from Canon!Percy. They are, however, two sides of the same coin…hence the name of the story!

Ghostcraft9: Believe me, that scene is going to be so much fun to write!

See you guys next time!


EDIT 4/20/21: Delta's numbers and some grammar.