Sorry for the long wait. I was busy.
4
(Previously)
Andy was interrupted with a loud "ENOUGH" from Perseus.
He quickly turned around. He let loose a wave of power and the tides responded by rushing towards him.
So, he is the God of tides. No matter. Andy thought gleefully at the prospect of the opportunity to fight her hated brother.
"YOU WANT A DUEL, SEA SPAWN? YOU GOT IT!"
"Bring it on, asshole."
14 July, 9018 -04.37
"Andy, don't!" Artemis stopped Andy.
"Milady, this is my destiny. Besides, he has already accepted for a duel to death."
"Indeed I have, daughter of the sea. Your head will roll today. Not even Percy can stop me now. I have seen to it."
"I don't want your mercy, Perseus. Fight and show me you deserve the title of God of Swordsmanship." Andy readied her sword and shield.
04.38. I just need to hold him off for 9 minutes.
"I am ready to kill anyone who brings grief to Percy, like I killed everyone that had brought grief to him. Now, it's your turn." Perseus brought out his hand and his two swords appeared along with tridents' glow etched on his body.
Tartarus. It was the only thing he had done that has brought a warrior's respect from her, besides duelling all Immortals to create the Council of Immortals. He had dueled Tartarus and had brought down the primordial using his grief and anger at his family's death, for which Tartarus was responsible. Andy had nothing but respect for his mother, especially after Lady Thalia had told her stories. So, it pained her to cause harm to Sally's name but it had to be done to make him accept a duel.
The duel of a mortal and an immortal was a rule among immortals since time immemorial. A mortal who has been hurt by the immortal can challenge him/ her to a duel of equal footing. The immortal can die in this duel as his/her immortality is lost for the time of the duel. He/she has to fight like a mortal without the constant feeding of energy from their domains. If he/ she loses the duel, he/ she must give the mortal a favour and/ or accept death. If the mortal lost, it's instant death for him/her. This duel is overseen by a neutral oldest Olympian, Titan or Primordial present. Here, the place was given by de facto to Lady Artemis, although she would be anywhere but here.
"Perseus! She is your sister. You cannot duel her." Any result is a disaster.
"I will, Lady Artemis. Percy has respect for you. For that, I must listen to you. But I can't. She has hurt Percy too many times."
"And what does Percy think of killing Andy?" Artemis had a feeling that Percy do not want to kill Andy, or he would have done that already. He had many chances.
"He wants to protect her. But she has hurt Percy too many times. I am done letting her hurt him. Besides, he owes me one day more of battle."
Artemis held in a deep breath. It looks like I'm going to lose my daughter.
"All right, as you both wishes. Place your reason for duel."
"He killed my mother."
"She hurts Percy every time she has the opportunity even though he has done nothing against her."
"NOTHING AGAINST ME? I- "Artemis looked pointedly. Andy stopped talking.
"What powers are allowed by both?"
"My powers and my weapons against his powers and without the support of the domains."
"Acceptable to me."
"Pledge your honour to your deity who may punish you if you forfeit the rules of this duel."
Andy straightened her back and said, "Lady Athena, I pledge to you that I will not forfeit the rules of this duel."
"The Nature Goddess who is the mother of all, I pledge to you to follow the rules of the duel. Otherwise, you should wipe my existence out of this world as my word is my life." Artemis was not surprised. She has only heard rumours of the Great Mother who is greater than the Great Lady Chaos, the creator but Perseus always took oaths in Her name.
"Alright. Draw your weapons." Perseus raised his dual swords and Andy raised her sword and shield.
"BEGIN!"
04.40
Perseus attacked with his one sword which Andy blocked with her shield. But already his sword was coming for her sword arm. She blocked it while ramming her shield into his body. It hit him but couldn't push him. They were in a deadlock for a few seconds before Perseus pushed her shield away. This left her open for a second which he used and slashed at her chest. She wasn't wearing armour and the sword made a slash.
Andy hissed in pain, but the wound closed quickly. She smirked. You're not the only true water user, Perseus.
This surprised Perseus. In his lack of guard, Andy attacked but quickly found out that her offense was lot worse than she had anticipated. Wherever she brought her sword, his sword was there to block it and his other sword rained down blows that she could barely defend.
His fighting is similar even though I have never fought him.
Andy tried shifting from defence to offense and vice versa to find that he was at par with her in both.
04.45. Have to survive for 2 more minutes. Andy thought while getting quickly into defensive.
I don't think I can survive if he keeps his dual swords. My master, Tidal Lord, give me your blessing to have the strength to defeat this foul beast.
As if her master had heard her prayer, she quickly realised a pattern in Perseus' attacks. While he was good at offense, he put too much effort into attacks thus leaving his body to attacks. She utilised this quickly to her advantage and made a feint. As expected, he put too much weight into it. She quickly attacked his body, another feint knowing that he would protect his body. He moved away but wasn't quick enough to move his swords away. Taking use of a technique Tidal Lord has taught her, she quickly used her sword to make his sword, Anaklusmos fall to ground while ramming with her shield to the other sword, making him fall on the ground, the blow forcing him to cough up some blood.
Everyone including Artemis looked stunned. No one since he had reached his prime has ever managed to make Perseus lose his sword, not including fall on his ass on a duel by just using a weapon in a duel. He was a master in the Duel as well as in weapons, with the only exception being archery which was due to Artemis' curse. It seems Andy was indeed among the best swordsman in this era.
"Well done, little warrior. Well done. Nobody has managed to do this feat before you, not even men and women with thousands of years of experience." Perseus said to Andy. Fondly, Artemis noted. Perseus has risen again taking his sword with him. He has healed.
04.46
"Don't call me 'little warrior', Perseus. Nobody calls me that except my mother and Tidal Lord."
"Oh, Andy. Haven't you realised it yet? I'm Tidal Lord."
"What?" Andy was shocked. Is it true? He is the Lord of Tides after all.
In her confusion, Perseus quickly attacked. Even though she recovered quickly, it was no match for him. He quickly disarmed her.
"I told you earlier, Andy. Do not let your guard down until your enemy is dead."
Andy was still looking at him in shock. Tidal Lord was the one to say that to her in her dreams. He trained her in her dreams!
"Are you really Tidal Lord?" Andy asked hoping that he was just bluffing, yet somehow knowing that it was true. But how is it possible? I have seen Perseus' memories and yet I have seen only his seizures and his wife.
"Yes, I am. Amon gave it to me after I made entire civilizations into tides of blood for my wife, his daughter. Though much to Percy's chagrin."
Artemis was shocked as well as everyone. He has a wife? Who is this Amon? Which civilizations and why haven't I known about it? I know only about New Athens.
04:47 Any second now. Andy thought, hiding a smirk.
"You haven't defeated me, Perseus. Aren't you forgetting something? About your seizures?"
"How do you know about that? What time is it?"
"04:47, Perseus."
"Oh…" As if on schedule, Perseus screamed aloud as blood started spurting through his shirt and started dripping into the ground. Artemis has never seen him scream that aloud after he has reached his prime. Also, she could see that a flickering image was surrounding him.
Mist, Artemis realised. How could I have not seen that? Artemis waved her hand and the Mist was removed. Everyone, including Andy, felt pity at the scene before them, though many of them didn't like him. No human, mortal or immortal must suffer this daily.
His clean clothes were an illusion, made by Mist. When they were removed by Artemis, some tattered clothes were present on him. Must have come here after a great battle. Everyone knows he doesn't wear armour in battle. But where? In Tartarus? Ruby had mentioned other monsters and how they were preparing for attack on Arcadia. Was it the Bactrians? Artemis mused.
But what had made them pity him were the wounds that were reopening. And the screams…. Nobody has ever seen him scream like that, even when Tartarus had cut open his forehead into a trident. Well, not everybody has seen that, only the Olympians. The screams reminded everyone of burned people. It may have been true for his case as scorch marks were also coming alive.
Artemis wanted to get help for him but as she was overseeing the match, she had to do what was necessary and not what she wanted.
"Can you stand up, Perseus?"
No reply but screams.
"Can you stand up, Perseus?" Please don't. I want to help you.
Again, nothing. Artemis sighed.
"I deem you unfit for further duel, Perseus. Andy, you win by the rules of the Duel."
Artemis released a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. Andy has done the impossible. Now, to avoid a war.
"What is happening to him? Maybe I should call Apollo." As Artemis was about to call her twin brother, Andy stopped her.
"No, milady. Lord Apollo cannot heal him. Nobody can. All his wounds from various wars are reopening. He will be alright within half an hour, maybe even less."
"What do you mean, Apollo cannot? He is the God of Healing, Andy. There's no wound he cannot heal."
"You can try, Milady. But I can assure you, he would not be able to heal him. It's a curse."
"How do you know that? You were never interested in healing."
"You are right, I was never interested in healing. But I can see his memories. I have seen him being cursed."
"How?"
"We're soulmates. Just like you and Lord Apollo." At Artemis' flabbergasted expression, Andy gave a sad smile. "Yeah, it was hard for me to accept too. Now, however pity I feel for him for suffering this much pain, I must kill him. My mother's soul would not rest until then."
As she was about to raise her sword, Artemis stopped her. "Me and the Arcadians aren't on good terms, with how many of them I have killed in my long lifetime. The death of their General in a duel overseen by me would only lead to war. They see him as a God. They would never accept that you won on a fair duel, although how much of it is fair is up to debate."
"There's nothing wrong with using a weakness against an enemy. That's what Lady Athena taught me."
"This was just luck, Andy. Only at a right time. He is your brother, on both sides."
"Are you also agreeing with his actions, just like Dad?"
"You know that I don't. Please, Andy, for me. Do it for me."
"Why do you want him alive so much, My Lady? Do you love him?"
"Of course not. Why would I love him?"
"Then you cannot ask me not to kill him. I would have listened to you if you have said you love him, seeing as that he was your friend in the youth." So, My Lady do not love him. My only obstacle is lifted.
"As leader of the Hunt, I'm ordering you not to kill him."
Andy looked angry. "Also, as the overseer of this duel, you cannot interfere."
Damn, Athena taught her well. Artemis couldn't say anything.
Seeing no other protest from Artemis, Andy reached Perseus and raised her sword. She took a deep breath. I am finally going to achieve my goal.
She brought down the sword.
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