Chapter 6: She's My Friend
Piper
I was one of the lucky few.
When I was twelve years old, being a Half-Blood without realizing you were one was essentially the same as living a life with a bomb strapped to your heart. You'd never know when your timer was going to run out, each tick forward could very well be the end of everything, and yet, you had no choice but to keep running against time, no matter how tough that path might be.
I was very fortunate to have found the light at the end of my tunnel.
He was my shining knight in armor, the prince who saved me when I was the most vulnerable. Together with his sister, they helped remove the bomb next to my heart, they gave me love and a home to call my own.
It was with their compassion and strength that I was able to find my footing in this new world and made a promise to myself: Never again will I abandon a friend in need of help, and I would train hard to protect those who treasure me like family, just like the twin once did.
So when the mysterious girl blasted her way into our penthouse without so much of a warning, I was prepared to protect everyone I loved from being hurt.
Imagined my surprise when I found out who was hiding underneath the cloak...
"Mom?!"
It was hard to believe, but the girl before us was no more than sixteenth or seventeenth years old at most, and yet, I knew it was her, the Goddess of love who existed for eons, the personification of grace and beauty, she was without a doubt Lady Aphrodite and my godly mother from the realm above.
"Hello, Piper. How is my favorite daughter doing?"
Speaking informally and with a smile, I was at a loss for words. I didn't think I would ever see my mother again, and her looking like a teenage girl didn't help. Many questions were clouding my mind, but only one was appropriate after she appeared out of nowhere and broke her way into the penthouse belonging to Goddess Athena, "What are you doing here, mom?"
Aphrodite tiled her head, she sighed and put her hands out from her sides, "I know I know… I should stay on Olympus like she keeps telling me, but this is important."
"What is important, Lady Aphrodite?" Thalia put away her sword.
"I'll explain everything in due time. Right now, I need to know where Athena is. Is she here or back at the compound?"
"She left with Jason. They went to—"
Aphrodite finished, "Rachel's home to investigate, isn't that right?"
"How…"
Aphrodite shook her head, "What a stubborn owl head she is. Even after all the warnings he sent, she still decide to do it alone, so now I came all this way and risk it all for nothing… Great Plan, Athena."
Her monologue was met with silence by everyone. None of us know what she's talking about.
"Umm… Excuse me, but are you really Aphrodite? Like the Goddess Aphrodite?"
At once, her persona shifted and she smiled without all the doom and gloom from before.
"Of course, my dear." My mother turned to Annabeth and swung her lustrous blonde hair behind her back all dramatic-like, "I might not look like it, but I am indeed the Goddess Aphrodite, the physical incarnate of beauty and love."
Adding an obnoxious laugh at the end which I rolled my eyes at, she smiled subtly between the couple, "Of course, I've nothing on you when it comes to Percy, isn't that right? Son of Poseidon?"
I saw Annabeth blushed bashfully.
Ignoring that question, Percy relaxed his arms around Annabeth but stood protectively over her nevertheless, "Are you a friend of Lady Athena? How do we know we can trust you?"
"Don't worry, Percy. She's on our side."
Still, my reassurance didn't seem to work. Percy kept looking at Aphrodite with apprehension. I supposed it was inevitable. Lady Athena never told him nor Annabeth, but sooner or later, they would find out about it so there wasn't any point to hide the secret.
My mother seemed to share the idea.
"Remember the story about the three Olympians who went to the underworld to aid Hades?" Aphrodite gave Percy a warm smile who nodded back.
"Well, I was the third Olympian who went with your father and Athena." Aphrodite revealed, "Shame we didn't save Hades. He would have been a good ally."
"So you were working with my mother this whole time?"
Aphrodite flashed Annabeth a bright smile, "Smart girl, as expected from a daughter of Athena. Yes, I have been working in secret with your mother and Lord Poseidon for a while now."
"Why?"
Wry chuckles escaped her, "Isn't it obvious? To save humanity and see the world saved from destruction, but I suspect that's not what you are asking."
As the couple narrowed their eyes at the Goddess, Aphrodite gave up with a brief sigh and took on a small smile, "You two are so mean. Well, I supposed the reason was lost some time ago, but to see that hope blossom before my very eyes, I guess it is worth saving."
Everyone, not just the lovey-dovey couple, tilted our heads in confusion.
"Love, my dear. It's the very foundation of love you all have been showing for each other. I am reminded of how powerful loving someone is, and I want to do everything in my power to save that."
No one spoke at her confession.
"More importantly, Athena has been a good friend to me, and what kind of friend would I be if I won't help her save the world?"
Just then, a scattered voice spoke with his speech syntax lagging behind every word. His attempt to sound coherent again was creepier than it should have been, like a broken recording in a horror movie or something. Nevertheless, it couldn't have been anyone but Owlfred, and he was back!
"Oh? You have rebooted already?"
"D-Don-'t j…joke aa-round-dd lik-e th…that, L-Lady… B-bleep! Ah finally, that was very unpleasant." Said as a matter of fact, Owlfred blinked into existence and turned to face the Goddess, "Please don't do that again, Lady Aphrodite. I would have let you in without you resorting to violence."
Aphrodite laughed it off and pat the little orb flowing in the air, "Aww… come now, I was in a hurry, and besides, I helped Athena in your creation, so of course I know a few tricks around your protocol."
Owlfred automatically flew a few feet away from the Goddess and his color turned bright yellow, "That's not necessary. I'll open the door for you from now on."
The whole group smiled.
"Umm…"
Rachel raised her hand timidly, "So Lady Aphrodite, what's going on? Why is my home suddenly becoming such importance?"
Annabeth switched gears and turned to the Goddess too, "Right. What do you mean when you said his warnings? Did Lord Poseidon figure out something out we didn't?"
Percy turned to Annabeth with speechlessness.
"As expected…" Aphrodite smiled at the girl with a messy ponytail, "You truly are smart, Annabeth. Well, I guess I should catch you up to speed on what's been going on."
For the next ten minutes, Aphrodite joined us on the couch and revealed all there was to know about the secret Athena's been keeping from the prince and princess.
"… So for the last fifteen years, I've been secretly undercover on Olympus. Zeus doesn't know that I am working with Poseidon and Athena behind his back, and I've been able to keep the other Olympians from running interference, for the most part."
"In any case, I was given the responsibility to keep Zeus and other parties off our scent, but now that I've left Olympus so suddenly, I am sure he'll get suspicious of my position, which means I might soon be banished as well. Oh well, I never liked them anyway. They are all so arrogant and annoying. I could always crash with Athena, and I doubt she'll say no. Right, Annabeth? You don't mind if I stay with you in your mansion, would you? I promise I won't—"
"So what does this have to do with Rachel's mansion?"
Aphrodite passed Percy a knowing smile filled with hopelessness.
"I'm getting to it. You are so impatient, son of Poseidon."
She sat up and cough into her hand a few times, "Ahem. To answer all your questions, I am here because Poseidon discovered the Goddess who betrayed us."
"—!"
She flashed us pointed looks, "As expected from a daughter of Athena, I am assuming you all figured out the true nature of Amk. But in any case, she is the one responsible for revealing the secrets of our world to Rachel's father, and most like working with Lu—."
I jumped and clasped her mouth shut.
"Aahaha…" Trying to act normal, especially when Annabeth gave me a strange look, I settled back down, "It's nothing. I am sorry, mom. Please continue."
Puzzled, Aphrodite tilted her head at me. While I was glad she didn't smite me on the spot, I didn't have the time to indulge in her mercy and joined Thalia to silently tell her to keep that part quiet. It seemed she understood what we were saying, but when she caught her gaze with Illya, all her doubts vanished.
"Oh, I see…"
She sighed into her hands and resume her explanation.
"Well anyway, Poseidon believed the Goddess in question might be planning a trap for Athena, knowing that she would investigate Rachel's home for clues about Walter, that's why he sent me to look after her, and if needed, stop her before she could get herself into trouble."
"It would have been great if I made it in time to stop her, but now, she could very well be captured by Amk already and I wasted my undercover position on Olympus."
Annabeth's eyes grew moist, "C-captured?"
"I am sorry, Annabeth."
Unable to assuage the princess, even Percy couldn't stop her anxiety. Wide-eyed, Annabeth cradled her arms before her chest and was without a doubt trembling at the reveal.
"Wait, so you're saying Rachel's mansion is booby-trapped?"
Rachel shivered at the reveal too. I didn't doubt she was feeling a bit disturbed when she was home this morning and when everything was still normal for her.
"Like a bomb kind of booby trap?"
Aphrodite shook her head, "Not exactly, but it's likely they would destroy all the evidence of his experiments with some kind of explosion. I am sorry, Rachel. Your father isn't exactly the kind of man you thought him to be."
Rachel stayed quiet. She bit her lips with a guilty look.
"The one thing I know for certain is that Walter is working with the Goddess who helped him assimilate into our world, as for the person working directly under Kronos, that's still up in the air. Though I don't doubt they are planning to work together after this, which is why this is so troubling."
"Without sharing the same view as the other Olympians, we are really at a disadvantage against Amk, much less against Kronos's uprising from the underworld. When they do decide to work together, that force would truly become unstoppable."
The mood sank like a ten-pound rock thrown off a bridge and exploded into pieces.
"So mom, who is this Goddess? The one who betrayed us and Olympus by working with Kronos and revealing our world to Walter?"
Aphrodite looked at everyone solemnly, "Poseidon was the first one who discovered her intention."
I gulped.
"After all, it's his wife."
-Line Break-
Objectively speaking, being bound by a celestial bronze cuff with a dozen heavy assault rifles trained on him wasn't the best situation he could find himself in. Though from a certain perspective, it didn't feel like he had lost, at least she was safe for the time being.
"Where is she?"
The agony from being tortured was beginning to hurt. Besides the cuffs burning scorch marks through his wrists, a steel collar twisted by dark magic made the pain even worse. His skin turned paler with each passing moment, a powerful incantation beyond his abilities ate away at his very life.
He spat out blood from his mouth, "Nice to meet you too, Lady Amphitrite."
"Tell me where Athena is hiding now, son of Zeus." She demanded, "Do that, then I will consider letting you live."
"Heh… now why would I do that?"
A quick punch to his face followed. The rough impact left his nose broken, and he struggled to breathe properly. Blood flowed down his lips.
"Foolish boy. You think just because his blood runs through you that you are strong?" Lady Amphitrite held back the soldier who got a good hit with the butt of his rifle, "You are only deluding yourself, son of Zeus. You are nothing but the Half-Blood of a God who is even more foolish than that wretched woman."
He chuckled, "On that note, I completely agree. I am not really a big fan of my father either."
Instead, he was met with the sharp edge of a katana blade as it drew near his throat, "Don't think you can waste my time and stall. It won't work in your favor."
The tip was drawing blood, he had no choice but to look up at the Goddess who betray everything and everyone who cared about her. That detest look in her caramel eyes… This was not a simple betrayal. It was the desire for vengeance.
"I know she's here with us. The room is sealed with a gate barrier, and I've made sure to disable your powers with celestial steel. It's only a matter of time before we'll find her."
Lady Amphitrite was right. It was only a matter of time. Even as they spoke, the human soldiers she commanded were already searching this empty white box. They only have themselves to blame for not being cautious enough to escape this trap.
Please find a way to save yourself, Lady Athena… Don't waste your time trying to save me…
Amphitrite sighed and sheathed her straight katana made of dark metals of the underworld. Instead, she drew a pistol from one of the soldier's holsters and click off the safety.
"Last chance. Tell me where Athena is hiding." She aimed at him, "I don't have any more time to waste."
Faced with overwhelming despair, he could only chuckle, "Do as you wish. I don't know where Athena is anyway."
A swing of her hand came down and she struck him with the pistol. Jason fell over and felt warm liquid streaming down his face, his eyesight wobbling and hazy.
"You are really arrogant, son of Zeus. I find people like you the most annoying."
Faster than he could blink, an orange spark flashed for a nanosecond, followed by a loud vibration that echoed into reverberation around them.
"But even as powerful as you are, you are only human."
Suddenly coughing up blood, his gut felt like it was being boiled. The floor around him felt warm, no… it was hot, very hot, so hot that he might actually be burning alive. But he wasn't, it just felt like his body had been ignited on fire and someone pour more gasoline on him.
"And that means you are just as vulnerable to the weapons of this world, as much as you are of our world." Lady Amphitrite whispered next to his ears, "Don't worry. It wasn't a killing shot, just enough to make you suffer. Now tell me where Athena is and I'll make sure to finish you off quickly this time."
Agonizing grunts escaped him as blood dripped out of his mouth.
"H-Heh… I- I've got p…plenty of time to s-spare—"
He pushed himself up despite a hole in his stomach, "How about a few more rounds, Lady Amphitrite?"
Just as he wanted, Amphitrite was fully enraged as she grabbed him by his hair and pull him up, "You'll regret making a fool out of me, son of Zeus. Mark my words, I'll find Athena even if I have to flip the world upside down, I'll make her suffer pain she couldn't possibly imagine, everything she valued and treasured, I'll ripe them apart, piece by piece, then only when she's at the bottomless pit of despair, I'll offer her the mercy of death that she desires."
Glaring daggers into his eyes, Jason was about to faint from his wounds when he heard a whisper between them, "You'll find doing that quite difficult, Amphitrite."
A web of translucent strings pulled every rifle and pistol from the soldiers' grasp. Left weaponless, all their guns were stuck to the ceiling above like magnets.
"…! When did you—"
"Urrrgghhh!" Athena turned visible at a second notice and jab her one-handed long sword at Amphitrite.
Orange sparks flew across them. Amphitrite was quick enough to deflect her attack and even added a counter on her own. Athena easily parried hers and pull back, standing in front of him defensively.
"No! Just run, Lady Athena!"
"Stop it. I won't leave you here." She said firmly.
Though he could barely speak afterward, all he wanted was for her to get out before it was too late. He didn't want her to end up captured, or worse, hurt because of him.
"Finally…" Amphitrite exhaled, "Nice of you to show up after putting your pupil up as bait, Athena."
Athena held her sword in a defensive grip and readied herself.
"Why are you doing this, Amphitrite? You are his wife. How could you possibly betray him and everything he is standing for?"
"Betray?" Her eyes glowed fire, "That's a funny thing to say considering how many times he betrayed me! But of course you wouldn't understand..."
Amphitrite put away her sword, "That's why I'll make you understand soon enough, Athena."
From every corner of the laboratory room, a dozen more secret panels opened up. Steel chains shot out from machines-like cannons and instantly bound Athena in place. With no escape route, they easily wrapped around her limbs and pulled tightly. Before anyone realized it, she was rendered immobilized and defenseless.
She struggled and pulled on the restraints to no avail.
"Don't bother. I've laced them with cursed ichor, my own blood. You are powerless as long as you are bounded by the chains."
He didn't want this.
"You won't get what you want, Amphitrite." Athena's back was facing him, and even though he wanted to cry out to her, his voice was beyond hoarse and too bloody to even croak a whisper.
I have to do something… I have to—
"We'll see."
He managed to tilt his head and looked, "W…Wait, d-don't—"
Just before a white flash blinded the room, he saw the regal Goddess he was supposed to protect turned around to face him. She smiled, and her lips moved.
"Don't let them come looking for me…"
When the lights faded moments after, his vision drifted toward darkness and the world went silent.
