A/N
Really sorry that this chapter took so much longer than the others. It's just that I have been dealing with some family problems, nothing that serious, but still distracting. So, I was unable to write a single word for two weeks. Then there was my full syllabus test. Another week gone in preparing for it.
Won't happen from now on.
Good news. I have created a server on discord where you can post suggestions or your views. If you want to join, the link is:
https/discord.gg/Zke3568Mds
Join it peeps.
Another important milestone for me. We crossed 70k views on the story. Wohoo!! Thank you so much peeps.
A shout-out to PerseusPeverell092, my good man who beta-read this chapter for me. Thanks buddy. Check out his awesome Harry Potter and Marvel crossover fanfic. Named The War of Titans.
Also, I have said this before and I will say this again, I haven't and won't ever abandon my story. I love this story and will never abandon it. I plan on completing this story. I also plan on reaching a million words, but that is hard. Who knows? I just might.
Now to address some reviews.
To Secrets : I get what you wanna say. See, even if he has seven years of practice, he is ultimately a twelve year old. Although mature for his age, he will still make at least some silly mistakes. But ultimately, I have to agree with you. I am actually showing him weaker than I first described him. Thanks for that suggestion. Will keep it in mind for the future chapters. Also about Poseidon raping ladies in the past. Percy should be mad, I know and I have planned something in the future regarding this. I am as disgusted by the concept of rape as the next person, but I was unable to describe Percy's feelings accurately. But I have something planned later on when Percy will confront his father.
To MCwoopin : Glad to hear that you like the story. And as for your question, this story will continue till the end. No trilogies or something like that. I intend to make this the longest Percy Jackson fanfic. And by the rate I am going, I believe I can do it. As I mentioned earlier, my target is to cross 1 million words. About 10 times what the story is right now.
To DeadSpace11 : The reason Loki is in Percy's head is to guide him. The reason behind this will be explained in detail further in the story.
To ArachnidHiveMind : I know that Greek mythology is older than Norse, but this is an adjustment I have made for my fanfic. This is an AU. Also, I have showed the Fates lot more powerful than they are. There's a reason behind it that I will explain in the future chapters. So expect some such changes in the future.
To E : Percy wasn't expecting a Hellhound, and his senses were not on alert as his concentration was on his wound and other demigods. Percy struggled because the beast took him by surprise. Also, I have tried to show Percy as a noble person, but won't take shit from others. Some harmless pranks from the hunt aren't enough to make him angry. Believe me, I hate it when writers show Percy as a slave of the hunt and I tried to avoid it. But I can't just show him as someone who openly disrespects the maiden goddess. Even canon! Percy is smart enough to not do that. Also, you misunderstood me. Percy asks Chloe to stay away from the water because if she is in the water, it will keep replenishing her stamina, not making her train harder. So, he orders her to remain outside.
To J915WinterKing : Thanks for the praise. Also, suggestions and constructive criticism is always welcome. If you have suggestions for me, feel free to P.M me.
To Mcc9901 : Hmm. I'll try to make it differ from canon!. Thanks for the suggestion.
To all of you : The poll is on my profile. But it is only visible if you are using your laptop or Pc. Smartphone does not show the poll.
Ladies in the pairing:
1 Artemis
2 Zoë
3 Hestia
4 Calypso
5 Aphrodite
6 Athena
7 Piper
8 Reyna
9 Sally
10 Thalia
Last time :
Chiron gave a nod and spoke, "Which weapons do you have, Perseus? And which weapons have you been trained to weild?"
Showing him my blade, I spoke, "I have this celestial bronze xiphos named Anaklusmos. I also have four throwing knives made of unbreakable celestial bronze." I decided to refrain from telling him about my twin imperial gold gladiī. It would raise some questions and bring attention to me knowing about the Romans. That was a can of worms I didn't feel like dealing with today.
His face showing confusion and slight shock the centaur asked, " Unbreakable? What exactly makes them unbreakable? As far as I know, even weapons made by Lord Hephaestus are not completely unbreakable."
Amused slightly at Chiron's assumption I spoke, "That is because the knives are made from the claws of the Leviathan itself."
If I thought that Chiron was surprised and shocked before, it had nothing on the expressions on his face now. "T...the Leviathan. Bb..bbut how?" His voice coming out in a strangled choke, I had to strain my ears to hear the sound.
"A story for another time, Chiron. Now, if you excuse me, I am feeling sleepy. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight Chiron." I spoke with a mischievous smile and walked out of the room towards the Hermes cabin.
On my way back, I encountered a hungry harpy who tried to attack me. In no mood for this nonsense I just gave her my snake slit eyes, making her squeak in fear and fly off towards the dining pavilion. Finally, I got to the Hermes cabin and entered it silently. Avoiding the other demigods on the floor and the myriad of objects strewn about I crawled into my sleeping bag
I was extremely glad I was going to shift to dad's cabin the next day. Don't judge me, but I was used to sleeping on a comfortable bed in my own room. And in Hermes cabin, you had absolutely no privacy. So, it was a boon that I would be shifting in cabin three tomorrow.
Thinking about an onyx eyed lieutenant of the huntresses, I fell into a deep slumber.
Present time :
Third person POV :
Divinity.
This word is not just a simple meaningful combination of alphabets, but rather is an unbelievably complicated concept. A concept that has aroused questions and doubts ever since human beings were created. How human beings were created is another such complicated concept, but we will let that be for now.
For now, we concentrate on the word 'divinity'.What exactly does this mean? Some say that divinity refers to the superiority of prime beings that rest at the top of the hierarchy. Some even believe that it is a state of utter perfection, of utter completion.
Now whether divine beings, or say the Divine being exists, is a topic that if we start to debate on, will take us more than a million lifetimes, yet we won't be able to draw a final conclusion. Huh. Seems like I have bored you with these useless words of mine, haven't I? So rather let's skip this bullshit and start with today's chapter without any more shitty philosophy of mine.
Sigh.
Twelve beings of immense power sat on twelve humongous thrones lined in an inverted 'U' shape. As described before, these were the twelve mighty Olympians. The gods of the Greek Pantheon who held the most power and the most notable domains. (Although they in no way could be defined as perfect. Believe me.)
Usually, whenever these twelve beings of unmeasurable power met together in this throne room for a council meeting, you would always see them bickering like five year old kids instead of acting like the Divine beings they were.
Poseidon, Lord of the seas and the Earthshaker ,arguably the mightiest Olympian was arguing with Athena, the goddess of wisdom, battle strategy and crafts over petty topics. This was a rivalry that had started about two to three millennia ago, but was showing no signs of coming to an end any time soon.
Beside them, Artemis was glaring at Apollo, the twin children of Zeus and Leto having a silent contest over who out of them was the older sibling. Artemis was agitated with her annoying younger brother, while Apollo took great pleasure in getting under the skin of his 'little sis'.
And then there were Ares and Aphrodite. Ares the god of war paid no attention to anyone, just staring star-eyed at Aphrodite and ogling her voluptuous figure. The goddess of love, lust, the patron of carnal acts and undoubtedly the most beautiful goddess in existence was doing her nails, her face showing not even a hint of what she was thinking. She was completely ignoring Ares for now, after his offensive comments against her demigod daughters the day before. Honestly, the only reason she even kept him near her was because the other gods wouldn't try to force themselves upon her in fear of what Ares might do to them. Not that she wasn't capable of dealing with them, but it was much easier to sick the brute of the war god on the fools. And while powerful in both her innate power and her capabilities she knew that even she would be hard pressed if she would have to fight almost every minor god on Olympus. Once almost thirty minor gods had accosted her and almost overpowered her. Only the timely intervention of Athena had saved her from getting defiled that day.
Next was the messenger god Hermes, who was the least interested in viewingthe fights and was instead scrolling through his phone, thinking about new pranks that he could carry out on his fellow Olympians while also bemoaning silently about his workload.
After him was Dionysus, the most useless god on the Olympian council. True to his description, the god of wine was currently out cold on his grapevine covered throne, snoring away to glory with a wine connoisseur magazine on his portly belly and a soda can in his grasp .
The next was Demeter, second born of Kronos. The goddess of crops and harvest was currently busy explaining the importance of eating cereal to her nephew, Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths. Said god was ignoring his aunt, tinkering with pieces of metal with his fingers while nodding at appropriate moments to the goddess in front of him.
And then come the king and queen of Olympus. Zeus, the god of the skies and the Lord of Kings. His wife was Hera, the goddess of marriage, childbirth and family and Queen of Olympus. It was a common assumption to think that such prestigious positions would be made of a happy, loving couple. Zeus and Hera utterly wrecked any idea of a happy marriage life.
Ahh the irony. The marriage of the goddess of marriage was undoubtedly the most unsuccessful marriage in the history of marriages. Hera was the perfect wife that any god could ask for. Completely loyal to her husband even after five millennia.And her beauty was also nothing to scoff at. But her husband was the complete opposite. Zeus was well known for not being able to keep it in his pants. Anything that breathes and has a pussy with a pair of tits was fair game for the Lord of the skies. This infidelity of Zeus had made Hera into a wicked, cold goddess, a shell of her former self. Hell, 70% of the Greek mythology revolves around the fact that Zeus couldn't keep it in his pants. From Perseus of Mycenae or Heracles, almost every notable demigod and event was related to Zeus in some way or form.
Even now, she was busy chewing him out for catching him red-handed while he was 'going at it' with a dryad, in their fucking marital bed!.
Feel any better about the current world leaders after reading this? Yeah. Olympus was ruled by the most dysfunctional family in existence. But eh, who are we to judge? After all everyone deals with trauma of infanticide commiting dads and ruthless absent parents in their own way.
As Hera was about to finally castrate Zeus this time, Zeus realized that he won't be able to do 'it' without his genitals. Yeah. He was fast that way.He summoned a bolt of electricity and shot it at the floor in between the throne room. The loud bang that it caused was successful in gaining the attention of his fellow Olympians.
Hera huffed in anger and pulled her spear back. She internally promised to kick her husband in the royal jewels after this meeting was over, not that there was much to aim the kick at if she was being honest. Somehow, she found her gaze going to her elder brother Poseidon as the title 'Father of Horses' came to her mind..
Zeus was now desperate to get a topic started for the meeting. He hoped that this would be enough to distract Hera from their current situation.
Composing himself tohimselfto the best of his capability thecapability, the God king cleared his throat and spoke in a booming voice that demanded attention and respect. "So, let us start with the reports regarding our domains. Brother, why don't you go first? Perhaps you could start by telling us where you have hidden my bolt." He turned to his elder brother with a sneer.
Most of the gods expected Poseidon to blow up and destroy half the throne room or at least issue a threat, but to their surprise, the god of the seas just placed his palm on his face and groaned in annoyance.
"I am saying this for the last time, Zeus. I have not taken your bolt. I have no use for that useless shiny object you call a weapon. I am more than satisfied with my trident."Poseidon's irritation was almost tangible in his voice as he glared slightly at the sky god.
Most of the council members shared this feeling of irritation towards Zeus. He had been calling these meetings everyday and demanding Poseidon to return theMaster Bolt.
Only Ares looked giddy at the prospect of the two brothers fighting. A certain wisdom goddess also observed this in the eyes of the war god, but her pride got the better of her and she refused to believe that the god of war had enough brain cells to rub together let alone plan something out. Also, this sort of bloodthirstiness was the war god's behaviour usually, so Athena discarded the thought before it could even take form completely.
It wasn't for nothing that the children of Athena had 'Hubris' as their fatal flaw.
One by one, all Olympians gave a detailed report of their domains, duties and other important events of notice. As the last one, Dionysus gave his report, the other gods prepared to flash out, assuming that the meeting was about to end.
But for once, Zeus's brain came up with an idea. An idea that would possibly distract his wife Hera for some time, and cool her down a little so that she would stop harping on about him having a little fun.
"Ahem., I believe that today Capture The Flag game for the demigods in Camp Half-blood is to be held?" He turned to Dionysus, who gave him a bored nod, his bloodshot eyes barely open.
"Well, then why don't we spectate the game today? As it is, I believe we need to spend more time as a family, do we not?". He asked in a sweet tone, which could have convinced anyone had they not known about Zeus's drama skills. Seriously, he should have been the god of theatre instead of Dionysus.
Hestia was the only goddess that looked genuinely happy at the suggestion, the hearth goddess was still as innocent as ever. Tell her something about family, and she is all ears. But that was what made her the favorite aunt and favorite sister to her family members.
On the other hand, Hera looked rather pissed at her husband's tactic to stop her verbal barrage. She was about to protest, but the king of gods spoke out before she could.
"By the way that was not a question, but an order from your king. Today, we will be spectating the capture the flag game in Camp Half-blood . Is it clear to everyone present, or do I have to make sure I am clear?" He ended speaking dangerously with a faint blue outline on his body,leaving no doubt of his preparedness to smite anyone.,which was a feat considering that he was afraid as hell of his wife at the moment.
Everyone was taken aback by the dangerous tone of his voice. The Olympians knew that Zeus was very powerful and could easily defeat at least two or three second generation Olympians depending upon the opponents by himself. Also, he was really cranky nowadays since losing his Master bolt and would lash out at anyone for the smallest of reasons. His already short patience had become practically non-existent in the last few days.
Poseidon did not like the way his brother was speaking, but chose to refrain from speaking as most of the time. He did not want to create an issue out of such a small matter and hurt his brother's precious ego. Also, what was the harm in seeing the game when his beloved son was going to show everyone up?
Poseidon's eyes lit up in excitement as a thought struck him. Today's capture the flag game was when he was going to claim Percy in front of the Camp . And why not do it in front of Zeus, just to piss him off even more. He knew that the gods were forbidden from hurting a demigod who was inside camp borders. Zeus wouldn't be able to harm Percy even if he tried to. Yes. That would be excellentIt would be amusing to watch. Zeus was already cranky, why not piss him off even more? Entertainment was rare to come by nowadays since Percy was out of Atlantis.
If it weren't for the throne room and an image to be maintained, he would have summoned a cigar and let out an evil laugh like those cheesy Hollywood villains. Holy fish! Percy was really starting to affect him.
Turning his attention towards the council, he spoke in an authoritative voice that he only used when he was serious, "I agree with my little brother. We need to look out after the demigods, lest they loose their faith in us. However much you try to deny it, half of our power comes from demigods.It will allow those with children to view their prowess and capabilities, and we really need some quality family time." At this, he shot a small smile at Hestia. Hey. Some brownie points from the best chef on Olympus never hurt anyone.
Surprised that his brother agreed with him on something after five centuries Zeus still felt a vein pop on his forehead when Apollo snickered with Hermes mouthing 'Little brother'. Zeus never liked people reminding him of the fact that he was the youngest of his siblings, even younger than his half-brother Chiron. Even Poseidon was elder to Chiron.
Seeing that the two most powerful gods on the council had voted in favor of watching the game, the others quietly nodded their agreement, though Artemis' interest was more along the lines of Poseidon. She was interested in Perseus. Seeing her other brother agree too, Hera stopped the protest coming up her throat right there. Only a fool would upset the two powerful sons of the Mad Titan when they were set on something. No, it refers to Kronos, not that purple brinjal from Marvel. Mind you.
Zeus seemed satisfied by this and boomed. "Iris, show us thee Capture the Flag from camp Half-blood. Best quality footage, mind you and make sure there are no disruptions." He spoke demandingly. There was a small groan from his kids at seeing the king of gods complain about the quality. Did he not have enough sense to understand that a rainbow message does not have quality options? It is the same for each person.
But wisely enough, no one spoke out. The Olympian council got ready.to watch the demigods show their martial skills. Apollo and Hermes, the pranking duo of Olympus, conjured up some pop-corn and lounged back into their thrones, miniature flags supporting their children waving in their hands and on their thrones. as the Iris message materialised at the center of the room. Multi-faceted like a jewel, it had multiple screens to show the front view to each of the twelve deities.
Athena closed the book she was reading and turned towards the screen. It showed her son Malcolm informing his team of the plan. She was absolutely sure that the plan had been made by one of her children. It was a plan worthy of her, without any flaws after all. Although her face remained stoic and her expression unchanged, her grey eyes shone with pride at the sight.
Dionysus was the least interested in seeing the stupid brats clash swords and fight like banshees. He preferred to catch onto his sleep or dream about booze. He fell asleep, mumbling about 'silly demigods and their silly games'.
Hestia summoned sandwiches for all the gods, which her family members took happily and savored the snacks. Compliments on the incredible taste of the food could be heard around the throne room, making the gentle goddess blush golden and duck her head slightly..
Hera was still mad at her husband, but the sandwich from her sister was a far better thing to concentrate on. Maybe she wouldn't castrate her husband. She would just kick him hard in the balls five times.
Ares was practically giddy, smirking at the thought of seeing his kids kicking the butts of other demigods. He was pretty sure that his children would win again, for the eleventh time in a row.
and prove their superiority
The other gods also looked excited at the prospect of seeing their children in action. Poseidon was almost on a sugar-rush and was clutching his trident tightly in excitement. The surety of pissing off Zeus was also a bonus. His excitement was missed by neither Artemis nor Athena and while the former understood his reasons, the latter was rapidly coming up with a hypothesis that was looking more probable by the second.
The screens facing each of the gods rippled for a moment, before dividing itself into four parts. The top left part showed the defense of the red team. Below it was the defense of the blue team. The two right side parts showed the offense that the two teams had to offer.
As soon as the flaming arrow was launched, Zeus felt the need to showcase his might to the demigods by sending a thunderbolt that hit the flaming arrow, creating a neon blue shockwave which was followed by the roar of the thunder. Zeus sat back with a smug smile, proud of himself at the awe and fear he could see in the eyes of demigods, while the other council members rolled their eyes at their king.
Athena let out a loud groan when she saw some of the campers screaming wildly like banshees. While besides her, Artemis just muttered about stupid boys with a glare fixated on some of the male campers..
The screen that showed the blue team's defense focused on one particular camper for a moment. Standing near the lake, he was throwing stones into it with a bored expression on his face. His windswept black hair was so messy that each goddess on the council was having the itch to run their hands through it and try to tame it. Of course Athena was above such meaningless things, but the twitch in her fingers said otherwise.
He looked to be about twelve years old from his height. But the muscles that the boy sported surprised many gods. An aristocratic face that could make him pass for royalty. wiith high cheekbones and an upturned nose that looked like it had been chiselled out to perfection. The boy was very handsome for his age.
But his most alluring features were his royal blue eyes that had a ring of sea-green around them. with flecks of yellow dancing between the glowing blue orbs that radiated authority and power.
A low whistle was let out and every head turned to Aphrodite. The love goddess had stopped polishing her nails and was gazing intently at the demigod.
"Woww!. That is what I call delicious. That boy is gonna have hordes of ladies on his back. That face even puts my kids to shame. Heck, even Adonis didn't look this good when he was this age. I like it!." She spoke out in her melodious voice that drew the attention of all gods towards her juicy, kissable red lips.
Not a single goddess disagreed with her. The boy was perfection incarnate with his royal features and already chiselled muscles. Nobody noticed the proud look and devious smirk that a certain god of the seas had on his face.
The gods also failed to notice the unhinged look of rage in the eyes of two virgin goddesses, ;two pairs of silver and orange eyes glaring at the daughter of Ouranos.
"Who knows, I might just go after him in a few years." Aphrodite spoke in a throaty voice, filled with confidence and oozing sexuality.
Eight of the remaining twelve gods rolled their eyes, knowing all about Aphrodite's intentions and actions. Poseidon looked a bit wary about the fact that the love goddess had her eyes on his son but a father's pride still won out in the end. The love goddess's intervention in a demigod's life always meant trouble, though Perseus would probably get the best fuck of his life.
Ares looked apocalyptic that 'his girl' was eyeing another male, and that too a 'fucking puny demigod', the fact that he was the one who had disrespected him and his children was also a factor. Artemis and Hestia on the other hand were now openly glaring at Aphrodite, and if looks could kill, Aphrodite would be reforming in Tartarus right now.
The silence becoming uncomfortable, Zeus let out a fake cough. "Umm. Let us drop the matter. He is just a demigod after all. And Aphrodite, please, keep quiet unless absolutely necessary." He shot the love goddess a small glare that she promptly ignored,her nails were much more important than a whiny man-child.
Everyone focused back on the screen to see the Ares' kids and and four children of Apollo as archers had marched towards the blue team's intended distraction. One by one, the four archers launched blunt arrows from their perches in the canopy. The arrows hit the unclaimed and Cabin 9 demigods on the throats and heads with accuracy, knocking them out before they knew what happened.
Apollo's grin was almost tearing his face apart as he snapped his fingers and a pair of sunglasses appeared on his eyes. He turned towards Hephaestus and smugly showed him the middle finger, in a 'take that bitch' motion.
Ares and Hermes burst out laughing at this, while Demeter and Aphrodite chuckled at the Olympian Playboy's antics. Hephaestus glared at the sun god and a fire lit up in his shabby beard. The forge god turned his head back to the screen since becoming the fourth man-child in the family wasn't a desirable level.
Within seconds the attack stopped and showed a rather interesting scene. Out of the twenty seven demigods that had been stationed by the blue teamin the clearing, only two demigods were standing. One was Jake Mason, a demigod son of Hephaestus, while the other was the same demigod that Aphrodite was eyeing a few moments ago.
"Twenty drachma says that the two punks will drop their weapons and surrender." Ares said while glaring at the blue eyed demigod standing with a shield in his hand.
"My son isn't a coward, war god. Twenty drachma says he will fight back." Hephaestus spoke out gruffly. Ares rolled his eyes at the forge god. As if the misshapen cripple would know anything about battles.
Surprising almost every god, the blue eyed unclaimed demigod turned around and threw his shield towards a tree top with the speed of lightning and a frightening accuracy. The gods stared at him like he was crazy,till the shield hit something in the trees, and a pained scream was heard from the tree. The next moment, an Apollo kid fell from the tree. He had a red welt with slight bleeding on his temple, signifying that the shield had caught him straight on the head.
A dumb 'huh' was heard across the throne room and everyone turned towards Apollo. The sun god in question had dropped his pop-corn and was staring at the screen wide-eyed, confused. Shocked at seeing his son being struck down by a newbie, the glow emanating from him dimmed somewhat as he shrunk back into his throne. All gods other than Poseidon, Artemis and Hestia mirrored Apollo's expressions. Though Artemis took great satisfaction in seeing her brother out of words and struck dumb. It was something that didn't happen often.. The fact that Percy was the one to do so almost made her giggle, almost.
"Must have been a lucky strike." Ares spoke out, vocalizing the thoughts of most of the council., He was trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.
Back on the ground,the boy dived sharply to the right, narrowly dodging three arrows shot at him. He got up immediately and ran to the fallen son of the sun and picked up the fallen Archer's bow and quiver.
Rolling forwards he evaded two more arrows and then kneeled with his back slightly bent backwards. He . aimed at the tree diagonal of him and shot an arrow towards it.The arrow went and hit something with a dull 'thunk'. A shriek of pain was heard again,this time that of a female. A daughter of Apollo fell out of the tree, clutching her vambrace covered arm. She glared at the demigod who shot her, while he just gave her a cheeky smile. This infuriated, the daughter of Apollo and she drew her sword and charged at the demigod.
He made no move to counter her charge ., Athena, perplexed by this, raised an eyebrow ..and asked the question that was in every god's mind. "Is the boy stupid? Can't he see the daughter of Apollo approaching him? Is he trying to get himself killed?"
As the daughter of Apollo swung her sword, the male demigod dodged it in a fluid motion, with an ease that didn't go unnoticed by the trained eyes of Athena and Ares. But, Ares didn't think much about it, while Athena saved it for later. The boy meanwhile was now behind her, and he grabbed the girl's shoulder and pressed two of his fingers in the nape of her neck and the girl's eyes rolled back into her head. He had knocked her out painlessly.The girl slumped in his arms.
He lowered her on the ground and rolled to his side to dodge two arrows again. Coming to a stop besides his shield, he picked it up. And held it in front of him, stopping two more arrows from striking him. Spinning completely on the spot to build momentum, he threw his shield towards a tree. The shield hit a son of Apollo straight on the shoulder and he dropped to the ground. The fall effectively knocked him out.
This time both Ares and Zeus sat up a little straighter. Now, all the gods were staring at the demigod with curiosity and shock.The boy was surprisingly good at fighting for being a newly brought demigod, but none of them knew of him. Others also were now paying every iota of their attention to him. They would surely have noticed it if the attractive and strong kid was of their ichor, or brain in Athena's case.
The last Apollo camper jumped down from the tree with an arrow aimed at the demigod. Apollo grinned smugly and spoke, "Yeah, get him Lee.! Show him why he shouldn't mess with my kids."
Artemis, who sat opposite from him grinned to herself.'Yeah right.! As if that boy could even hope to harm my Percy'. Wait a minute. Did she just think 'my' Percy? She blushed at her own thoughts. Diana, who was listening to the events subconsciously, did not waste the golden opportunity to tease Artemis, effectively making the goddess even more flustered.
In the Camp, Lee Fletcher launched his arrow at the demigod. It was a body shot, and at this distance even Luke would have been hard pressed to evade it. But, in a show of insane reflexes and agility, the boy jumped out of the way and evaded the incoming projectile.
Before the Apollo demigod could pull out another arrow, the demigod charged him at a speed that would have made even a son of Hermes jealous.
Leaping into the air the boy roundhoused Lee brutally making him spin in the air before falling flat on his face. Before the fallen demigod could even attempt to get up his opponent had already twisted his right arm into a hold where the slightest shift would have broken the shoulder, elbow and forearm at once..
An attempt to escape was made, but some force on the already strained arm and the camper screamed before slumping bonelessly on the ground as he was also struck in the same spot as his sister.
"Fucking Awesome!"
No one disputed Hermes' proclamation, after all the unknown, unclaimed and newbie demigod had taken out four more experienced range-combatants with nothing but a shield and knowledge of the human body. This wasn't a fight, this was nothing but a brutal, quick smackdown.
Ares begrudgingly accepted the fact that the punk was a good fighter, especially after that roundhouse kick.
"Now you will get it, punk." He proclaimed happily at the thought of his kids thrashing this demigod who had insulted him.
The other gods heard it and turned towards him. Poseidon was staring at him with narrowed eyes while the others looked intrigued and wary of what the war god was talking about.
The next moment, Hephaestus let out a gasp and almost leapt out of his throne as a shield flew towards his son's head at top speed. Even Hera, the least combat oriented Olympian could tell that if the shield hit the boy's head,there would be no chance of surviving. He was as good as dead. "Move Jake, for Hades'' sake move dammit." The forge god screamed as he saw his son's death speed over to him in the form of a shield.
Utter relief passed the forge god's body when he saw his son jumping to avoid the shield. But the shield still hit him in the gut. The kid fell to the ground with a loud 'oomph' and spit out a mouthful of blood.
Sounds of laughing could be heard from the bushes near the two boys. The forge god angrily turned towards Ares and glared harshly at him. "Your kids aren't demigods, Ares. They are monsters in taking such pleasure in another's pain. But I can clearly see where they get it from, after all." He all but spat at Ares as fire flared all over his throne.
Ares returned the glare with a sneer and retorted, "Shut the fuck up, you old cripple. Just because your kids are pussies working in the forges, doesn't mean you insult true warriors."
Zeus could see that this was quickly turning into a full blown fight. Neither wanting his favourite son Ares to be hurt nor Olympus' best craftsman to be crippled further, he raised his hand and brought it down swiftly. A lightning bolt struck the throne room floor, effectively quietening the two angry gods.
"Ares, sit down quietly and do not open your mouth." . Not wanting to test his irate father's already frayed patience, Ares settled back into his throne with a smug smirk being shot towards his younger half-brother.
"And Hephaestus, do not make a big fuss out of it. Your kid ,is still alive isn't he?" Zeus asked the forge god, who looked ready to bash Ares' skull in. But in the forge god held his tongue and nodded. He did not want to speak back to the king and risk being thrown down fromOlympus, again.
"What the Fuck?"
All gods turned towards Aphrodite who was in turn staring at the screen. They turned towards it and were shocked at the sight in front of them. The newbie demigod was taking on twelve children of Ares and was still devoid of even a nick from any of the 12 children.
"The punk is dead if he thinks he can take on a dozen of my kids alone." Ares spoke out with the smile of Satan and a loud snort. His fellow Olympians except Artemis, Hestia and Poseidon couldn't help but agree with the war god. Not even someone like the original Perseus could take twelve kids of Ares at a time and emerge out victorious. Only Achilles and Hercules could pull off this feat. The kid was in for a cruel beat up.
Poseidon just smirked at the comparison of Achilles to his adopted son. His son had the speed that could make Achilles seem slow. Maybe Achilles could win in a spear duel, but Percy would straight up destroy Achilles in a sword fight.
The expressions of the Greek gods changed dramatically throughout the standoff. As opposed to their earlier claims, Percy proved that he was completely capable of taking on twelve Ares kids at a time.
And to be honest, it wasn't even a balanced match. Percy straight up demolished the Ares kids. He was dodging swords and spears here and there, with movements that were so fluid that even Athena couldn't help but be impressed a bit.
Within five minutes, he had already taken down nine of the twelve demigods like they were nought but straw dummies.. As the last three demigods charged him, he made quick work of one of them by parrying the overhead strike with his xiphos and delivering a jaw shattering right hook to the temple.Ares' kid didn't even have the time to blink before he flew sideways and didn't get back up. .
The next moment, the gods of Olympus gave out gasps of shock as a spear was pierced completely through the boy's shoulder. The spear tore straight through him, the bloodied tip coming out of his front.
When everyone focused on the attacker they saw Clarisse, the daughter of Ares standing there with a scowl on her face. She cackled evilly as the boy let out a pained gasp when the spear lit up and red electricity passed through his body from the part impaling him..
The goddesses looked at the scene with aghast expressions with Hestia also having embers actually sparking off her skin. On the other handAphrodite, Hera, Hestia and Demeter looked at the scene in horror, while the other gods steeled their expressions, everyone with kids knowing about the bullying and brutish girl Ares had sired.. Poseidon surprisingly didn't make the girl explode in his anger. He was a father and he worried for all his children, but he also knew their capabilities better than they themselves did. And Perseus was capable enough to chew this girl and spit her out just as spit. The sea god knew that while it must have hurt like a motherfucker, it wasn't enough to kill his son.
The silence was broken by Ares. "What? He deserved it. The boy got what he was asking for. That's the price for disrespecting me and thinking himself better than my kids."
Poseidon had to summon all of his willpower to not impale Ares with his trident while other like Apollo, Hermes and Artemis didn't look much different than him. Wait, Artemis?Why the fuck was she angry on the actions of a maiden over a fucking MALE!?.
"Killing someone off, that too a new demigod just for disrespecting you is not something to be proud of, Ares. It just makes you pathetic, you sadistic buffoon-minded piece of shit. And that is not even considering the 'no-maiming' rule of the game." Athena barked out at the war god.
Ares just shrugged and turned back to the screen with a smirk on his face "Should have taught that to them not me Owl-head".
They saw as the daughter of Ares pulled out her spear from the demigod's shoulder savagely by twisting rather harshly and causing more blood to flow out.
But the gods' eyes again widened as something invisible hit the last daughter of Ares on the head, knocking her unconscious without any delay.
As her sister dropped, Clarisse tried to move towards her, but the boy turned around and grabbed head. He pulled her down and raised his knee at the same time. Clarisse was unconscious before she knew it with a red bump growing on her face.
A daughter of Athena ran out towards the clearing and screamed out, "Perseus? PERSEUS!! Oh Hades! are you ok? No of course you aren't. No, no, don't close your eyes. Keep them open. Wait, I will get help. Oh my gods, I am so, so sorry."
The boy mumbled something inaudible to the girl that was too soft for the gods to hear, which caused the daughter of Athena and the fallen demigod to argue for a while. Finally, the daughter of Athena shook her head and sighed in resignation.
She helped him move up slowly towards the lake.
The Olympians were wondering why Annabeth was taking this 'Perseus' towards the lake instead of the infirmary. But it was the goddess of wisdom Athena who figured it out the fastest. Well, that was obvious.
Her eyes grew wide as she turned to her uncle, her rival. Her observation was proven correct when she saw the sea god gazing at the screen in relief. Relief at the fact that the boy was moving to the lake where the water will heal him.
The wisdom goddess wasn't much shocked at the fact that the sea god had broken the oath and cheated on his wife again. Loyalty and intelligence were never the strong points of most of the Olympian council. Deciding to find more about Perseus later, she took a deep breath and turned back to the screen. She would criticize her rival, but not before hearing his explanation and watching her daughter's game.
Once the two demigods reached the lake, Perseus asked Annaneth to leave him and step back. Again, they bickered for a while before Annabeth finally gave out a sigh and stepped back.
The boy immediately dropped to his fours . As some of the goddesses gave out loud gasps, something amazing happened.
Water tendrils and rivulets started traveling up the arm of the raven haired demigod. The water tendrils reached his shoulder. The water seemed to enter the open wound and in front of their eyes the flesh started growing once again and the tissues knitted themselves back. WIthin second's there was not a sign that there had been an injury inflicted in the first place, other than the small red wound, that wasn't bleeding any more.
Gasps rang out through the throne room as they finally deciphered the heritage of the new demigod. Not even a second later Zeus raised his hand to summon his master bolt, before he remembered that it had been stolen.
Before the sea god could be confronted, a cacophony of voices drew their attention to the screen. It showed Luke Castellan running into their clearing with the red flag in his hands. Hermes got a proud glint in his eyes for a moment, before it was gone due to the shock they had received a few moments earlier. Heck, even Ares was so distracted that he didn't even bother throwing a fit when his children lost the game.
As Chiron reached the clearing, a further report of the events was given to him by the daughter of Athena. When said demigod told Chiron that she believed she knew Perseus' parentage, a daughter of Aphrodite shouted, "What about it? Who's his parent? I hope it's anyone but Aphrodite. Would be a shame if that hottie is my brother."
The other Aphrodite girls and even some of the Demeter ones voiced their agreements.
The daughter of Athena dragged Perseus back into the water and pointed towards his head. ...And nothing happened.
A hearty chuckle was heard from the sea god, making most of the Olympians gaze at him weirdly. with Athena glaring at him for embarrassing her daughter.
The next moment, Chiron screamed 'duck', making Perseus grab the daughter of Athena and duck towards the lake. But before he could do so completely, a Hellhound pounced on them and struck the daughter of Athena with it's claws, making the wisdom goddess give out a loud gasp as her daughter fell to the ground.
Before the Hellhound could even raise it's paw for another strike, it was literally cut into two halves by Perseus with a quick overhead slash along its flank.' The Beast from hell disintegrated immediately showering the two demigods in golden dust as it returned to Tartarus.
Dropping to his knees besides Annabeth, the raven haired demigod brought his hands on her back. Similar to before, water tendrils shot out of the lake and enveloped the girl's wounds. The blood flow stopped immediately and the wound started to heal, until all that was left was three pale pink scars and a bloodied torn shirt.
As soon as Perseus stood up, a bright sea-green glow lit up the clearing as a trident hologram formed above his head. Though the gods had figured out his parentage by now, the demigods gave out gasps of surprise, for it was the sign of the Sea God, the Earthshaker, The Stormbringer, The Big Three Poseidon. .
The iris message was cut odd as Zeus swiped his hand, sending a gust of wind to cut the screen.Turning towards Poseidon with an extremely furious expression he spoke. "You broke the oath that we made. I want the reason now. And don't even dare lie, brother." He thundered angrily, causing the sky to rumble loudly.
Poseidon lost his playful grin and faced his brother with a cold gaze. "I am not one of your children, Zeus. So you better watch the tone you speak to me in. Remember that you aren't the only one to earn the moniker of big three and neither are you the only one who has godly children along with armies. You may be the King of Olympus but I am not one of your subjects, Understood?" The next time you speak like that, your head will be hanging on my trident. And that's not a threat, it's a promise. Understand, little brother?"
The sea god spoke the last two words in unmasked contempt.
Knowing that this argument would lead nowhere, Athena took matters into her own hands. "Father, keep quiet for a moment and stop shouting at barnacle beard. You are in no position for accusations as you have already broken the oath twice, that too with the same woman." She spoke in a criticizing tone, making the sky god sit back into his throne.
She then turned towards Poseidon. "And you, barnacle beard, what reasons do you have for breaking the oath. Last I heard, you had sworn to remain faithful to your wife. I may not like you, but I do know that you do not go against your word. So, what is it?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Poseidon stared at her for a second, then he nodded curtly and his trident vanished into thin air. Sitting back into his throne, he spoke, "True. I never go back on my word. and I have not broken the pact or my promise to Amphitrite, as I have not sired a demigod. Perseus is not my child by blood, but through adoption." His voice was calm, yet firm, not a hint of lie detectable.
Athena was a little surprised by that, but she just nodded along with the other gods.
Unable to keep his mouth shut for this long, Zeus stood from his throne and boomed out, "I get it now. Poseidon adopted this child to help him in stealing my bolt. He brought the child to Olympus and had him steal my bolt. Isn't that true, brother?" He asked with a smug look.
Poseidon face palmed at his brother's paranoia before speaking slowly, "No, you dimwit. Perseus has not been to Olympus in the twelve years of his life. And no, I didn't adopt him to steal your bolt. I adopted him because I owed his real father a favor."
Zeus, not convinced at all, turned towards the council. and spoke, "I say the boy should be taken care of, before he becomes a threat for us." Unsurprisingly Ares nodded, along with Dionysus, their opinionated views as transparent as crystals.
Athena mentally groaned at her father's annoying actions. Deciding that she had enough, she spoke, "Father, as much as killing him off is easier, he can be useful to us alive. I think I have a better idea. One that you may like." This gained Zeus's attention and he signalled for her to continue.
"How about we give the boy a quest? A quest to retrieve your master bolt. If he succeeds, you get your bolt back. Otherwise he dies as it is." She completed explaining her idea while crossing her hands over her chest.
Zeus's eyes got a calculating look in them as he pondered over this for a moment. Finally, he spoke, "Alright. This seems the best course of action. Apollo, issue a prophecy for Poseidon's child." He ordered his son, who nodded and flashed away to his temple to do whatever was needed for a prophecy.
Zeus then turned to the council. "I think we have enough for today. Council dismissed." He spoke with finality before he grabbed Hera's hand and flashed away. Poseidon was the next to flash away, followed by the other deities. Athena looked around the empty thrones in the room and let out a sigh. She knew that Poseidon hadn't given out the whole truth regarding his adoptive son. But she also knew that it was probably for the best. No one needed Zeus's paranoia to burst out of scale. 'Perseus, huh? Lets see if you are as grand and powerful as your name. And if you are the child of prophecy, then do you have what it takes to raze us or save us?.I have a gut feeling that you are something different. And my gut feeling is never wrong. There is more to you than meets the eyes. And I will find out what that is. After all, knowledge is power. Oh, and you better not make a move on any of my three daughters. No daughter of mine will get into a relationship with a son of barnacle beard, even if he is adopted.'
As she finished her thoughts, she flashed out of the throne room.
Hestia, who had been quietly tending to the hearth till now, let out a huge sigh of exasperation and frustration at her family. She was the goddess of home and family,and as a victim of cosmic jokes, her family was the most dysfunctional family to ever exist. Whether it be family wars, cold-blooded murder, or infidelity, everything could be traced back to the Greek Divine family. But Hestia had learned to cope with it after so long.
Instead, she thought about how the only demigod she had ever taken interest in was going to be assigned a dangerous quest that could as well be his first and only quest. Now she knew that Percy was the adopted son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, and all that other shit, but she didn't know whose son Percy really was. That was something only Poseidon knew.
Even Zeus' bolt and Perseus' adoption circumstances took a back seat now. The only thing that mattered to her was Percy's safety. Afterall, he was the only one who had ever noticed her. Even her siblings except for Poseidon and Hades didn't give her a second look these days, but even her brothers had their kingdoms and domains to manage. On the other hand the prince of Atlantis had not only noticed her, but provided her with company unconditionally. He was the first demigod ever to sacrifice some food for her. She still remembered the feeling of warmth and happiness that coursed through her body when she felt him do so.
Not to forget how warm and fuzzy she felt around him. Whenever their hands accidentally brushed against each other, or when he complimented her with that damn charming smile of his. Percy couldn't even fathom the effect that he had on her. But could anyone blame the poor goddess? All her immortal life, she had only given since her childhood was literally eaten up by her father and later she had given her throne to her nephew despite the burning feeling of anger she had felt at her youngest brother. Never had someone paid her as close attention as the raven haired demigod did. Not to mention those strikingly beautiful blue eyes that she could keep staring at for days.
Hestia snapped out of her thoughts with a blush creeping onto her face. Chastising herself she reminded herself of the fact that she was a sworn maiden and that no man could remain faithful and respectful to his wife. Her three brothers were prime examples of her observations though only Zeus was an infidel to the point of being called a manwhore on the same level as Apollo and Hermes.
'But you know that he will be different. Afterall, he has been doing the impossible since he was a mere eleven year old. Be it slaying the Leviathan, or winning the respect and approval of the hunt. And now looks like he has won over the maiden goddess.' Her Roman counterpart, Vesta spoke. Being the more blunt one of the two, she didn't beat around the bush and spoke right to the point.
Hestia blushed at her Roman aspect's words before shrieking mentally, 'VESTA!! What are you saying? It is nothing like that. I just admire him. No romantic feelings involved. You know we can't pursue it, right?'
Vesta just scoffed and shot back with, 'You do remember that we haven't sworn an oath, right? You just chose to remain a maiden. So that is no excuse. Also, answer me this. How did you feel when you saw the lieutenant of Artemis kiss the boy?' Vesta asked in a questioning tone.
Her thoughts went back to the incident and she remembered how her stomach had churned with an unknown ugly feeling when she had seen Zoë Nightshade kissing Perseus. She had felt the anger and the sudden urge to separate those two and incinerate the lieutenant of the hunt to vapour on the spot.
She heard sounds of laughter from her Roman aspect that causing her to snap out of her thoughts. 'That, my dear, is jealousy. You feel jealous of the lieutenant because you saw her kiss Perseus. And I know that you are well aware of why you feel jealous. That demigod is indeed something special. So much power for such a young age? Go for him, girl. Don't let that demi-titaness take him away from you'." with those encouraging words Vesta's voice went quiet as she left Hestia more conflicted than ever..
On one hand, she believed that a man would never respect his wife and would cheat on her without guilt. But her aspect's words had struck a chord in her mind. Should she give this a try?
Unable to make a decision, she let out a groan of frustration before getting up and flashing out to her palace. She needed a place and some time to think about this.
Linebreak
Place : Camp Half-blood
Percy POV :
The next morning, I woke up because of my senses tingling like crazy. As soon as I sat up in my sleeping bag, something soft and creamy hit me on the face, causing my eyes to close on reflex..
For a moment, I sat still,in my sleeping bag, gathering my wits and wondering what had happened. Then it came to me., Cabin eleven happened. I moved my hand and wiped off the shaving cream from my face. After thoroughly cleaning my face, I opened my eyes to see the whole cabin laughing their asses off at my expense. Even Luke was laughing like a madman, while clutching his stomach.
Irritated at them, I willed the water from the washroom to gather and then doused all of them in the cold water. Shrieks and screams were heard throughout the cabin as I started laughing at them. Soon we all had cooled down, we looked at each other before busting out laughing again.
After five minutes of continuous laughing, I finally got to my feet and walked to the washroom to freshen up.
Ten minutes later, I was walking out of the Hermes cabin with my belongings in my grasp. I had already bid my goodbyes to my cabin mates.
As I reached the Poseidon cabin, I took a few moments to gaze at it properly. It may not be as grand as the Zeus cabin, or as decorated as the Demeter cabin, but it was still the most beautiful cabin to me. The reason being that it was dedicated to my father and the sea shells certainly helped with the appeal. Not that it wasn't beautiful, because believe me, it was.
On entering, the first thing I saw was the big painting of a trident on the wall opposite to the door. A small fountain was placed in one corner of the cabin. It was made from white marble and sprayed water non-stop. Useful for iris messages. Then there were the five bunk beds that were placed in the room. As I walked inside, I saw a few paintings of dad, Triton and mom in Atlantis and a few other places. There was also one of Delphin. Walking towards the other side, I saw two doors. The first door lead to the washroom. While the next door's opening caused a grin to split up my face. It was the cabin counselor's room. A separate room for the head of the cabin. I had heard that it was a privilege only given in the Zeus and Poseidon cabin. The room was great, with a queen size bed and a study table beside it. There was also a small bag of drachmas sitting on the bed. Looking out of the window, I could clearly see the beach and ocean from here. This was undoubtedly the perfect room for me. Letting out a contented sigh, I plopped down onto the bed, and laid down in a spread eagled manner. "Thanks dad". I murmured softly under my breath. A small movement caught my eyes and I turned my head to see some water flowing from the washroom and gathering in the air.
To my immense shock and growing irritation, the water formed into a hand that was flipping me the bird. Then it separated and formed into something else. English text. It read, 'The drachmas were from me, shithead. And yes, you may bring a girl in with you if you want. Your amazing brother, Triton.'
A groan of frustration escaped my mouth. Of course it was him. And what the actual fuck? I wasn't even twelve yet. Why would I even bring a girl in, unless she was a pedophile? Damn my luck for getting the most idiotic brother in existence. Well, second most idiotic brother. The title belongs to Apollo, from the stories I have heard from Artemis and the hunters.And now Triton was also labelled as a voyeuristic pervert.
After relaxing for a few moments, I walked out of my cabin and started to move towards the dining pavilion for breakfast. As I reached the pavilion, all eyes were on me. Not even a bit fazed by the attention, I walked towards the table dedicated to my father. Taking my seat, I thought about a plate of pancakes and some orange juice. Also, two bananas alongside it. Taking my plate, I approached the fire and dumped some of my pancakes into it. 'For Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triton, Hestia and Artemis.' I spoke quietly in my mind.
Moving back to my table, I gazed around the pavilion finding that all eyes were still on me. Raising my eyebrow questioningly, I waited for someone to speak. Seeing that no one was, I shrugged and turned back to my food. A couple of moments later, Chiron stood up to his full height and cleared his throat loudly, gaining the attention of the demigods. "Demigods, yesterday we had some unfortunate events occur during our regular game of capture the flag. Firstly, the Ares demigods involved in attacking Perseus have been given their punishment and I hope such an event won't take place again. Next time, the punishment won't be so lenient." A number of whispers went through the pavilion as many eyes again turned towards me and the offending demigods..
Chiron waited for a few seconds before speaking again, "Also, the incident regarding the Hellhound has been looked into. You need not worry, for the camp borders still stand strong. The Hellhound was able to breach the borders because it was summoned. Now as you all know, summoning a dangerous monster into camp is a violation of rules and is punishable with banishment. The culprit will be given the same treatment. Argus and myself are looking into this matter." The whispers started again, neither of the children having ever seen Chiron this strict. Some Ares campers were still glaring at me, probably believing that I was responsible for the monster attack. Well, I could care less about those baseless accusations. But something that had my attention was who would do this? Also, what was the person's motive for doing so? It's not like I had done anything to offend any camper other than Ares kids and even my parentage had been revealed after the hellhound had been dealt with. The look in the Ares campers' eyes told it clearly that they weren't the ones responsible. Ares campers were the only ones easy enough to read.
I was snapped out of my trail of thoughts when Chiron turned to me and spoke, "Also, I would like for you to see me later, Perseus. There is something we need to speak about."
The warm and inviting expression that he was putting up was clearly a facade. I could tell that whatever it was that he wanted to speak with me, was serious. That's when it struck me, he had obviously received the god's orders for me to consult the Oracle.
I gave him a curt nod, which he returned. Turning back, he finished speaking with, "That's all for now. Enjoy your day, children." He sat down beside Dionysus, who had a scowl etched on his face. Looking at him immediately dampened my mood. It wasn't even a week of knowing him, and I already hated him. Turning my attention away from him, I turned my head just in time to see someone approach my table.
Looking up, I saw that it was Annabeth. The daughter of Athena looked pretty good for someone who had been clawed by a Hellhound just the previous night. I raised my eyebrow at her.
Sensing my gesture, she spoke, "Hey. I just wanted to thank you."
Tilting my head, I asked her, "What for?"
She gave me an incredulous look and replied, "For yesterday night. If you hadn't healed me, I know I would have been in for some serious pain due to my innards almost spilling out. Thank you, Perseus. If you need anything while at camp, feel free to approach me." She completed with a bright smile.
I returned her smile and nodded. "Ahh. Don't mention it. Couldn't let you die now, could I, Annie?" I asked jokingly, using the nickname I knew she hated.
Her smile immediately turned into a playful glare as she let out a frustrated groan. "Stop calling me that."
No longer able to control myself, I burst out laughing. "Sorry wise girl. It's just that it is so funny watching you get all riled up like that. I just can't help it. So... Sorry Annie."
"Ughh-. You are hopeless! Seaweed brain." She spoke out with an agitated tone. But the twitching of the corner of her lips betrayed her amusement. She turned back and marched towards her table, still acting like she was mad at me.
After finishing breakfast, I walked up to Chiron. As I reached the head table, Dionysus scoffed at me and shot me a glare .which I returned with equal heat. Rolling his eyes, he walked out of the pavilion. Phew. Good riddance. The drunken bastard was useless and irritating.
Chiron must have sensed my thoughts, because he gave me a reprimanding look, to which I responded with a shrug. He shook his head tiredly (I think he was getting used to Dionysus getting disrespected by me), before gesturing for me to follow him. We walked to the big house in silence. Once we reached the camp headquarters, I followed him inside towards the office.
As soon as I entered the office, I saw the wine god sitting at the table. He held a magazine about alcohol in his hands. Sensing us enter, he glanced at us. Seeing that it was me, he scoffed and rolled his eyes before going back to his magazine. Now this was seriously starting to annoy me.
Chiron must have expected this, because he immediately placed a hand on my shoulder and steered me towards the other side of the room. Once there, he turned around to face me and spoke, "Perseus, as you know, Lord Zeus' master bolt has been stolen and he blames your father for it. Now seeing that you have been claimed, the blame goes to you by extension as your father cannot steal the bolt himself. So, the Lord of Olympus has ordered a quest to be assigned to you. You have to retrieve the master bolt and return it to Lord Zeus before the summer solstice, which is the gathering of the Olympian council. Lord Zeus has clearly stated that if you don't return the bolt before that, he will declare war on your father. And I know that you are aware of the effects this divine war will have on our planet."
Taking it all in, I nodded my head and asked for him to continue. He spoke again, "Lord Dionysus has been kind enough to bring the message from the council that you are to visit the Oracle and get yourself a prophecy for your quest. I would suggest you do it now. The earlier you embark on your quest, the more chances you have of gaining success and staying alive at the end of it. But beware my boy, the Oracle is something that you would call 'creepy' and your experience with it might not be great."
I nodded again and turned to move towards the stairs that lead to the attic. As I passed the drunkard, he shot me a glance before rolling his eyes and going back to his magazine while muttering about stupid brats. Didn't this asshole remember that he himself was a mere demigod before he was turned into an Olympian? And what was all this stupid attitude about? As if he was that strong. I knew first-hand that if it weren't for the major power boost that he got due to his throne on the council, even minor gods like Nemesis or Hecate could kick his ass and even now they probably could, since no one had ever seen Hecate, Nemesis or Thanatos go all out in a fight. With an all-encompassing domain like hers, Hecate was the jack-of-all-traits with more than two millennia to become a master at them.
Nemesis could probably balance out his ego and weight by making him a shrimp who had a tendency to sob and be scared at every sound. And Thanatos was the chief henchman of Hades, that was all that needed to be said if he was valued even above the furies..
Not really interested in engaging him in an argument, I ignored him and walked straight towards the attic. As I reached the attic, I opened the door slowly and walked inside. To say I was surprised would be putting it lightly. I had imagined that the Oracle would be like one of those magic stones or mirrors that would surprise you by speaking and give out prophecies. What I hadn't expected was a freaking mummy. Well, almost a mummy. It was definitely a female. Just the sight of it made me want to puke such was the hideousness of it. The body was clearly long since dead, maybe even dead for decades. She had adorned many ornaments like rings, bracelets and necklaces. The woman, who might have once been beautiful, was now a withering imitation of a rotting mummified corpse, with her skin moldy green like algae. Her eyes were plain empty sockets, that sent a chill down my spine. Fortunately, she wore clothes to cover her privates, therefore not scarring my mind. Yep. This was definitely creepy.
Turning my attention from the mummy, I glanced at the walls on either side. The walls had a variety of ornaments and weapons hanging on it with nameplates under it.
Some of the stuff was from places like Crete and Sparta itself. One particular piece of weaponry that got my attention was the sword of Themistocles. Yes, the Themistocles. One of the greatest politicians and generals that Athens produced. The same dude who played an important role in the Battle of Salamis.
As I moved towards the weapon of the Athenian politician, I could see that even though it wasn't in pristine condition, it was still a sight to see. The pommel of the sword had the glinting inscription of an owl on it, signifying their patron goddess, Athena.
Moving my attention from the sword, I walked towards the mummy. Reaching it, I spoke, "Hello, Lady Pythia. I am guessing that this body isn't yours, but rather the soul that inhabits is. I am Perseus of Atlantis, Son of Poseidon and I need your assistance in a task that will decide the future of the world. I need a prophecy for my quest to retrieve Zeus' master bolt. I bowed my head a little in a sign of respect. Trust me, the one that can mess up your life with a few words is the last one you want to disrespect. If the relatively death free life of hunters didn't speak of Apollo's love, then Percy didn't know what did.
The Oracle was silent for a moment before it started glowing a mossy green color. Green mist started to spew out of the mummy's mouth. Soon, it had gathered together in front of me. Without even moving it's mouth, the Oracle of Delphi spoke out the prophecy in a raspy voice, just like a dying man.
"YOU SHALL GO WEST AND FACE THE GOD WHO HAS TURNED,
YOU SHALL FIND WHAT WAS STOLEN AND SEE IT SAFELY RETURNED.
YOU SHALL BE BETRAYED BY ONE WHO CALLS YOU FRIEND,
AND A CURSE MILLENNIA LONG YOU SHALL END."
Word of advice, if you ever want a prophecy, never, I repeat never consult an oracle. Just not worth it. Not that I was scared. The dramatics that the Oracle showed was something that annoyed me. It could have as well just told me the prophecy instead of spewing out all that mist and speaking dramatically though considering the Oracle came under Apollo's jurisdiction...
But I knew better than to voice my thoughts about this matter, at least in front of the Oracle itself. Sensing that it had finished speaking, I nodded solemnly and opened my mouth to speak. "Thank you, lady Pythia. I really appreciate you giving me the prophecy. Now I should take my leave. Thank you."
As I turned around to leave, a female voice spoke from behind me. This caused me to stop as the voice was extremely melodious. "My, aren't you a polite one? That was really sweet of you to request me and say a thank you too."
Turning around, I saw the same green smoke around the Oracle. But this time, the smoke had taken the form of an old lady. The lady held a calm expression, but her eyes were aged and seemed to store vast knowledge and experience. As if they could see the future itself. Which they could, actually.
My expression of shock stayed for a few moments, before I relaxed. "Hello, lady Pythia. It is a pleasure to meet you in person." I spoke.
She tilted her head and studied me for a moment. "Hmm. You are an interesting one, Perseus Jackson. No. Not Jackson. Just Perseus. Ahh. So you are the young prince of Atlantis. It is a pleasure to meet you, Perseus." She spoke.
Smiling, I replied, "The pleasure is all mine."
With a smirk, she spoke, "Careful Perseus. That gentleman attitude of yours might just gain you more admirers than you desire for. Or is that what you are actually aiming for?" She asked teasingly.
My cheeks turned red for a moment before I answered, "No, this is just how my mother raised me. She taught me that each and every lady deserves equal respect."
"Well then. I see that your mother raised you well, young prince." She spoke with a smile.
"My mother will be happy to hear so, my lady. And yes, my mother is awesome." I spoke with a soft smile. I couldn't wait to see mom again. Call me a Mama's boy, but this was the longest I had stayed without her.
Pythia smiled and nodded. but the next moment, her expression steeled as she spoke, "Perseus, I am unable to see the future correctly, but I must warn you. This quest of yours won't be easy. A word of advice for you. Do not let other people's prejudices affect you, child. Do what your heart tells you. Believe me, for once even your soulmate may lie to you, but your own conscience and senses will never will." She finished seriously.
Nodding my head, I spoke, "Thank you for the advice. I will surely keep it in mind. Now I must take my leave. I hope to see you again, Lady Pythia."
"As do I, Perseus. I wish you luck for your quest. May Tyche be with you." With that, she disappeared as the mist receded inside the mummy's mouth.
Done speaking with Pythia, I turned around and walked down the stairs. As I reached the office, I saw that Chiron was still sitting there, while the wine god was nowhere to be seen. Good riddance, but now there was also a third member present in the room. Grover stood beside Chiron with his arms crossed. He was tapping his feet nervously and had a troubled expression on his face.
Having a weird feeling, I extended my senses across the room. In the corner of the room, I sensed the water denser as a living body stood there. That's when I remembered, Annabeth had a cap that could turn her invisible. Of course it was her. She was too curious regarding this thing.
Not paying it much attention, I walked to Chiron with a grim look on my face. The third line of the prophecy was still stuck in my mind. And it honestly troubled me.
"You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend." But I decided to ponder on it later.
Chiron gazed at me inquisitively before speaking, "Did you get the prophecy, my boy?" I nodded my head affirmative, causing him to tense up even further.
I repeated the prophecy in front of the three members present in the room. Four, counting Annabeth.
Hearing that I would return the stolen object, Grover grinned widely. But the next line caused him to tense up. I understood what he was feeling. He was afraid that I would think it was him that would betray me. But actually, I didn't even give it a second thought of Grover betraying me. I could tell that the satyr was a pure hearted individual and would never betray his friends.
As I finished the prophecy, Chiron released a deep sigh. "That doesn't actually sound good, Perseus." He spoke.
Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Tell me about it." Grover let out a snort while Chiron shook his head.
Chiron then proceeded to speak. "Now, let us try to decipher this prophecy. The first line refers to you traveling to the west and confronting a god who was turned. This god is obviously the one who has stolen Zeus's master bolt. So you need to confront this god and convince him to return the bolt." He spoke and I nodded.
Grover spoke next. "But who can it be?"
Chiron leaned back into his wheelchair and exhaled. "I believe that the god mentioned over here is the Lord of the Underworld. The eldest male god. Think about it, if there was a war between Zeus and Poseidon to occur, who would benefit the most from it?" Chiron asked.
This could be a possibility. There was a good chance that Hades was the lightning thief, but there were two glaring mistakes in this assumption.
Facing Chiron, I spoke, "Although that may be true, do not forget that it would have been almost impossible for the Lord of the dead to steal the bolt. Unlike the other Olympians, Hades isn't respected. He is feared. Shunned, even. I do not think any demigod would follow the Lord of the Underworld. Do you really think the Lord of the dead could turn a demigod against the council?" I asked.
Chiron thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes. That is also correct. But do not discard this possibility so soon, my boy. It might just come back to bite you later." He spoke and I nodded.
"The next line is pretty straightforward. It says that you will find the bolt and see it returned to Lord Zeus. That is nice, isn't it?" Grover spoke. Chiron and I nodded at this. It was indeed nice to hear that I could complete the mission.
"You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend. Hmmm. That is depressing to hear. Who do you think could be it?" Asked Chiron.
I thought for a moment before shrugging. "No idea, Chiron. I do not have many friends. But the ones I have are trustworthy. Grover, Annabeth and Luke are trustworthy friends. I do not think that they will betray me." I spoke and I could see Grover brightening as he heard that I trusted him. Glancing at him, I gave him a small smile and a nod before turning back to Chiron.
"Okay. And the last line can have many possibilities. The Greek Pantheon is filled with curses. I would rather not guess about it and waste my time." I spoke, to which they nodded.
Continuing, I spoke, "So, what now? We have interpreted the prophecy. Now what do we do?" I asked Chiron.
He nodded and replied, "Now you must ask two members to join you in your quest. The choice depends on you. Choose wisely, my boy."
Returning his nod, I spoke unhesitatingly, "I want Grover with me on my quest, that is if he wants to come with me." I raised my eyebrows at Grover, awaiting his answer.
Grover's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Y.. you want m..me to accompany you on your quest? Why? I am not even powerful or have any powers? I will be nothing but a setback for the quest." He spoke in shock, that turned to sadness and self-pity by the end.
Walking up to him, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Grover. Never underestimate yourself. Think about it, if you weren't special, would you have been the one to find two children of the big three in a single decade? Would you have successfully brought me inside camp? You are my friend. But other than that, you are a brave satyr, buddy. I believe in you, Grover. Now the question is, do you believe in yourself?" I asked him seriously while locking eyes with him.
He gulped and was silent for a moment before his eyes hardened, and so did his resolve. "I will accompany you, Perseus. I won't let you down. I believe in myself." He spoke with a confidence that he didn't have before.
I smiled at him and nodded. Then I turned to where Annabeth was standing, still invisible. "You can remove that cap now, Annie. I know you have been here." I spoke, emphasising her nickname.
The next moment, Annabeth turned visible and stood before me with her cap in her hand. She had a shocked expression on her face. "How did you know I was standing here?" She asked.
Smirking, I replied, "A magician never reveals his secrets, milady." She tried to make me answer, but I refrained from it. Finally, she gave up.
"Annie. Sorry. Annabeth. Would you like to accompany me on the quest? I could use a smart daughter of Athena." I spoke seriously.
She rolled her eyes at the usage of her nickname, but nodded. "Yes. I will. Someone has to stop you from being a complete idiot, right?" She asked. She tried to be nonchalant about it,but her excitement for the quest was obvious.
"Rightttt." I drawled out, causing her to glare at me.
Chiron let out a chuckle at our banter and spoke, "You two sound exactly like an arguing married couple."
Annabeth blushed madly while I chuckled. Turning to her, I spoke in a deep voice, "Honey, we shouldn't fight in front of people, you know. Makes us look bad."
Unable to hold it in, Grover and I busted out laughing while Chiron chuckled. He also let out an accidental neigh, which caused me and Grover to laugh even louder. Annabeth on the other hand was glaring at me with a look that promised pain. But her cheeks and ear were as red as a tomato, so I wasn't worried.
Not wanting Annabeth to kill me, Chiron stopped chuckling and spoke, "Now Perseus, that is enough. Annabeth, go back to your cabin and prepare for the quest. You leave tomorrow morning at seven."
Annabeth gave me a last death glare before turning around and storming out of the room.
Chiron then spoke to me, "Perseus, even you should go and attend your daily lessons." I nodded and headed out of the big house while thinking about the prophecy. I had a feeling that Hades wasn't the one who had stolen the bolt, but my gut also told me to visit the Underworld as it was important. Why? I don't know, but I had always trusted my gut, and wasn't bloody going to stop doing so now.
As I passed the dining pavilion, I heard someone say, "Perseus."
I turned around and the sight of the person caused a huge smile to break out on my face.
And wrapp!!
14.5k words!
A/N
So, long awaited chapter. How was it?
Which part did you like the most?
Did you like Percy's interaction with Pythia?
One spoiler to the reader who guesses thecurse that the prophecy speaks of. And please reply in P.M. As I don't want you guys to spoil it for others.
Comment if you like it. This chapter showed a small bit about the personalities I am giving to each god.
Also, for the poll of first lemon, the leading choice is at a freaking 55 votes. The second is at 51. I won't mention the names. But the results are the addition from the polls on Wattpad and Fanfiction.
Guys, please follow, favorite and comment. It means a lot to me. We have already reached 850 follows and crossed 650 favorites. Honestly, I am flattered.
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Peace out
Darkgamer08