A/N
I know that this update is later than I promised. But I have a reason behind this. My dad's cousin, or my uncle, if you will, passed away a few days back. So, I was a bit down and wasn't able to write. But now most of it has gone back to as close to normal as can be.
So, with this chapter we cross 150k words. Damn. Doing so in just seventeen chapters seems unreal.
Moreover, I have a question to ask. Are you guys happy with these 12k chapters or do you want me to decrease the chapter length? CZ I have been getting some complaints from readers asking me to do so. Honestly, I like long chapters.
Do join my server on discord. There you'll find the latest themes and other content related to the stories I am writing. Also, I try to provide graphic visualization there. The link is :
https/discord.gg/Zke3568Mds
It is also present on my profile.
I know some people think I give too many details about each thing. But, is it bad that I do? I believe that being a writer, it is my job that all my readers understand what I write. So, I describe everything to the best I can. I hope you people like it. If you don't, well sorry, but I'm not going to change.
Now, to answer some reviews from last time.
To MegaRayquaza8121 : Worry not. I won't be changing the pairing. I have set the pairing up to the polls that you guys have to vote for. So, you guys will be deciding the pairing for Perseus the Dark Destroyer.
To HoboKermit : Do not worry. The original story will stay on my account.
To thunderofdeath97 : Yes to both the suggestions. I am going to add one other pantheon to the story. Also, the story will be Percy x four ladies. Also, how many times are you going to protest about Nyx? I said I have something planned for her. And I really do. And I won't change my mind about it just because I get some reviews about it. Rest assured, you all will love the Nyx part. So, please be patient and keep reading.
To XXxxxadisxxxXX : Dude/dudette. Typing your name was damn hard. XD. Also, I type on my mobile instead of my laptop. So, maybe the formatting problems arise due to that. But I'll definitely give it some attention and try to avoid it.
To Dk676 : Rest assured, I am not going to abandon this story unless I die. So, do not take tension.
To Jtf0012 : Hmm. Maybe during his wedding with his ladies. Or some other matter. But I do plan on showing Percy's interaction with each Olympian. Also, Amphitrite tried to teach him archery. But he failed spectacularly at it. That is why he started to train with throwing knives. I think I have mentioned this, if not, sorry. I'll do it in another chapter.
To TriainaMoon : Yes. I love Perestia and I try my best to write Perestia fluff. And what can I say? I love drama. So, it is a given that I'll have some drama in Percy's love life. Thanks for the encouraging review.
To ArachnidHiveMind : Everyone hates cheesy endings, except for Disney fans. XD. But yeah. Glad that you support my decision of killing off some characters to show the protagonist's character development and to make the story emotional and interesting. Thanks for the review.
To TheFire44 : It was actually a challenge given by me to a friend of mine. He hates Annabeth, so I made a challenge that once he reads this story, he will love Annabeth. Maybe I am doing good work.
To Veyniac21 : Yes. I am very well aware that Ananke is the mother of the Fates. But I twisted it for this story. Hope you don't mind it that much. But it was important for the storyline. You'll see the reason behind this later.
To Mark Andrew : I get that you want Nyx in the harem. But believe me, I have something planned for her. Please have patience and keep reading. I promise I won't disappoint you. Also, Dionysus is an undeserving god. And trust me, when I finish this story, even the few people who like the wine god will hate him.
To Guest : Well, the rewrite to Cursed Hero is gonna be a multi pairing story. And Hera will most likely be there in the mini harem.
To Guest : Dude. Seems like you are a Percabeth fan. Well, so am I. But I can't spoil the fact of whether there will be Percabeth here or not. All I can say is I have something planned for Annabeth.
Now, let's start without further delay.
Last Time :
As the realization came to her, she immediately jumped out of his lap with a squeak. But alas, her legs hadn't completely woken up. She ended up stumbling before falling on her butt. She groaned in pain as Percy chuckled at her antics."Sleep well, Annie?" He asked her with a gentle smile.
She blushed a bright red color, before mumbling a small yes."Thought so. My lap is a great pillow, after all." He spoke humorously.
She glared at him before sighing and turning to her bag. She brought out her water bottle, but saw that it was empty. She checked Grover's bag, but found that his bottle was empty too.As she was going to ask Perseus for water, her eyes widened in surprise.In front of her was a ball of water, floating in the air. It was completely still.
She turned around to see Perseus grinning at her. He nodded towards the ball and signalled for her to drink it.Annabeth thought for a moment, before shrugging and drinking up the water he offered.Grover chose this moment to wake up. His stomach rumbled loudly and he blushed in embarrassment.
Percy sensed his friend's embarrassment and spoke kindly, "Good you are awake. I think we should have dinner, shouldn't we?" He asked Annabeth, who nodded while patting her own stomach.
"Well then. Let's get going. Hope there's some restaurant or home nearby." Perseus said, picking up his bag and starting to walk inside the forest. Annabeth and Grover followed him, matching steps with him.
After they had walked for a few moments, Annabeth suddenly shrieked in fear. Percy immediately whipped out riptide and got in a fighting stance. But when he saw the problem, he face-palmed hard. On Annabeth's shoulder was a spider. Annabeth was staring at it in unbridled horror as she shook from fear.
Percy sighed and walked to her. He grabbed the spider with his hand and threw it away as far as he could. Annabeth immediately started to dust her shoulder.
"Come on. It's gone now. Let's continue moving. Staying at one place will attract monsters and wild animals." Grover said with a twinge of fear at the thought of monsters.
His quest mates nodded and started walking. After a few moments, they could see a small light coming from the billboard of a nearby building.
They increased their pace and started to speed walk towards the house. As they reached the place, Percy read out the name loudly. "AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM."
They were a bit cryptic about entering the place, but when they smelled the scent of food coming from inside, their stomachs rumbled in response. They looked at each other and shrugged before entering the place.
As Percy stepped in the building, his senses again went into overdrive, screaming at him to run away as fast as he could. But more concentrated on his hunger, he ignored it and marched inside.
The next second, a shrill voice belonging to a female screamed from inside. "Prepare to perish, stupid children."
Present Time :
The next second, a shrill voice belonging to a female screamed from inside, "Prepare to perish, stupid children."
Immediately, the sound of something being drawn was heard as Percy unsheathed one of his throwing knives and got into a ready position. Annabeth pulled out her dagger and stood beside Percy, scanning the room for any threats with her sharp eyes.
Grover stood two feet behind them, his gaze fixed on one of the stone statues that was present in the emporium.
"Hello, is anyone there outside?" A melodious voice reached the ears of the trio, causing them to stare at each other in confusion. The first sound that they had heard while entering was shrill and high-pitched. But the voice they just heard was simply magical.
It was so melodious that it immediately drew the attention of the three questers. After a complete minute, Percy was finally able to use his mouth. "Umm. Hello there. We come in peace?" Annabeth promptly face-palmed at the son of Poseidon's words.
They heard some shuffling sounds from inside and Percy swore he heard some snakes hissing inside the room. But Annabeth quickly put an end to that trail of thoughts when she turned to him and spoke, "Let me do the talking, okay?"
Percy shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "Go ahead. No objections here."
Annabeth nodded and the three questers turned their attention to the door. The sound of clicking of a lock was heard as Percy and Annabeth readied their weapons. The door opened and a lady stepped out. She wore a black full-sleeve shirt with a pair of pajamas. On her head was a veil that hid her hair. Percy again swore that he could hear the hissing of snakes in his mind.
He wasn't able to explain why, but ever since he had first seen a sea serpent, he had been drawn to snakes. The viscous and ruthless reptiles, which gave almost everyone a deep bout of fear, did nothing but raise his curiosity and awe. He felt that the snake was the most prideful and royal reptile. It did not take shit from anyone, and challenged any and every beast fearlessly. It was also a born leader like he was.
Percy had many times asked his mother if he could have a pet python, but she had always denied the request, saying that he was too young and that his father would not approve of it.
Realizing that he had been distracted, Percy turned back to the woman. She wore a pair of sunglasses that completely hid her eyes from them. One thing that Percy noticed was that she was clenching her hand tightly, as if to stop herself from lashing out at someone. But due to the sunglasses, he couldn't tell who she was staring at. Maybe she was even blind. Who knew?
Again, the woman spoke in her smooth voice, "Oh my. We have visitors. Hello children. What are you doing here? Are you lost?" Her hand raised slightly and went to her head. She fidgeted with the veil she was wearing for a bit before returning her attention to them.
Before Annabeth could open her mouth, Percy spoke up, "Hello, miss. Pleasure to meet you. I am Percy and these are my friends, Annie and Rover. We had lost our way in the forest. Then we saw this place and decided to come here."
Annabeth glared at Percy for a few moments before turning to the lady and giving a small smile with a nod. Grover didn't acknowledge the conversation going on in front of him as he was still staring at the same statue he was staring at before.
The lady smiled and spoke, "Oh. You poor dears. You must be hungry, right? Well, come on in. Let me make you something to eat." Her smile was kind and immediately convinced the two demigods and satyr. Afterall, how could a monster be so kind, right? Moreover, even Grover's senses hadn't found any monster nearby.
Percy tried to analyze all possibilities, from Aunt Em being a normal human, to her being the Black Widow from Marvel. But, he finally decided to go with his first thought, as his senses didn't report anything out of the ordinary from Aunt Em. She was as human as could get. And his senses had never failed him before.
He nodded to Annabeth and the two demigods turned to Grover. That is when they witnessed the various statues around the room. There were two similarities in all the statues. One, the faces of all the statues had the expression of sheer terror. It was as if their worst nightmares had come true.
The second similarity was, they were all male. There was not a single statue there which belonged to a female. So, either Aunty Em hated men, or wanted to send a message that she was straight. Judging by the horrible expressions on the statues' faces, the first option hit correct.
"Looks like Aphrodite kids when someone ruins their makeup." Percy joked, making Annabeth chuckle and nod her agreement.
Grover then spoke quietly, "He looks just like my Uncle Ferdinand." The satyr 'protector' of Percy raised his hand and pointed to a statue in particular.
The trio moved towards the statue and the two demigods were shocked to see that the statue did have a small resemblance to Grover. But, Grover spoke again, "Impossible. He's a searcher for the Council of Cloven Elders. No way it is him. I must be imagining it."
Not really knowing what to say, Percy just shrugged and spoke, "Hey Grover. Annie, I guess we should go in. Oh, by the way, Grover did you sense anything out of the ordinary here? Like a monster, perhaps."
Grover shook his head negative. "No. No monster for miles. I am not able to smell anything dangerous or suspicious." His two quest mates gave him nods and the three questers visibly slumped in relaxation, happy that they didn't need to worry about monsters again after the scary and dangerous encounter with the Furies in the morning.
Grover then sniffed loudly with his eyes closed and smiled brightly. "What I do smell is the intoxicating smell of cheese enchiladas. Welp, I guess we should go in. Aunt Em invited us in, right?"
The two demigods nodded and followed Grover into the next room. Once in, they were surprised to see a room that looked like it had been copied from those films from the 1950's. In one corner of the room was a small fireplace that burned brightly. The ceiling was painted white and had two main lights on it. A centralized AC vent blew cool air across the room, making the demigods and satyr sigh in pleasure.
In the centre of the room was a small dining table with six seats. It was made of impeccable quality wood. The three teenagers walked towards the table and sat down. Percy sat in the middle of Annabeth and Grover and was about to make a comment about something unimportant, when they smelled the food for the first time.
Percy could smell something really fascinating. Something he hadn't smelled before. He couldn't recognize what it was. But he couldn't really blame himself. He had been raised underwater and in a palace. He had never tasted any kind of 'junk food' as the humans called it. Heck, he didn't even know what all junk food humans ate. His mom had always fed him nutritious food that would develop his body and keep him healthy.
A few moments later, Aunty Em entered the room with a tray in her hands. She set down the tray on the table and smiled at the three children. "Eat your fill, children. Do not be shy. It is all for you."
Annabeth and Percy tilted their heads to make eye contact with Grover. The satyr took a whiff of the food and nodded almost imperceptibly. The signal was clear. The food wasn't poisoned or altered with anything bad.
Percy and Annabeth smiled. "Thank you so much, Aunty Em." Annabeth said gratefully. Again, Percy sensed a small bit of anger and…… fear from Aunty Em. It was as if she was both afraid and angry at Annabeth.
But if she was, the elder woman did well to hide it. Her lips stretched into a small, strained smile. It was almost impossible to figure out that it was forced. Whoever this woman was, she did know how to keep her emotions in check.
Percy turned his attention to the plate in front of him. In the plate was a food item he had never seen before. It was a circular piece of what he assumed was bread. The bread was covered in some red colored sauce and vegetables. There were also pieces of meat, most probably chicken on it.
Not to mention the melted cheese that seemed to drown the food item under it. The circular piece of food was cut into eight triangular pieces.
Percy was confused when he saw Annabeth's eyes light up at the sight of this circular piece of bread.
He nudged her in the side to get her attention. "Hey. What is this circular bread thingy? I have never seen it in my life."
Annabeth's eyes widened and so did Grover's and Aunty Em's.
"Seaweed brain, don't tell me you have never seen, let alone tasted a pizza?" Annabeth asked with shock, all the while looking at him incredulously. Grover was laughing out loud and even Aunty Em chuckled softly in amusement and surprise.
Percy blushed a deep red in embarrassment. "No." He muttered out quietly while running his neck in embarrassment.
This time, it was Grover who spoke, "Pan's pipes. That has to be the most shocking thing I have ever heard. Dude, seriously though. How can you not know what a pizza is? Did you live underwater or something?" He asked jokingly. This caused another bout of laughter from the daughter of Athena and Aunt Em.
After a few minutes, it finally stopped and Aunt Em spoke, "Dear. That piece of bread is called a pizza. It is a delicacy enjoyed by everyone, whether it be adults or children. Try it. I bet you will like it." She smiled at him and signalled him to take a bite.
Percy nodded and picked up one of the eight pieces. He brought it closer to his mouth and took a small bite. As the taste of the piece of bread registered in his mouth, his eyes lit up and his taste buds started to scream for more of this tiny piece of heaven.
He chewed quickly and then took another bite. A small moan of appreciation escaped his lips as the others again chuckled.
Over the next minute, Annabeth, Grover and Aunty Em were left in a shocked state as they saw Percy literally inhale two pizzas. It was only after he finished his last bite that Percy sensed the three pairs of eyes on him.
Again, the blue eyed son of Poseidon turned red in embarrassment and gave out a nervous chuckle. Aunt Em smiled and spoke, "I hope you liked it, Percy. But from what I have seen just now, I don't think I have to worry about the pizza being bad." She chuckled.
Percy nodded and smiled back. "That was one of the best things I have tasted in forever. It was simply delicious, Miss. Em."
Grover had started eating his cheese enchiladas happily and was going through them at a pace that rivalled Percy's. Annabeth was the only one of the three eating somewhat civilly.
"Hey, Miss. Em. Do you live here all alone?" Percy asked casually, wanting to know more about this kind lady.
Aunt Em sighed and spoke, "Yes I do. I have two younger sisters, but alas, they live somewhere else."
Percy nodded and asked in genuine confusion, "Why do you wear that veil and sunglasses inside here? From what I can tell, you aren't blind."
Now, even Annabeth and Grover were paying attention to this conversation. Aunty Em's fists clenched for what was the third time that night as she seemed to seethe in rage.
She took a calming breath and spoke in a sad voice. "Years ago, a terrible thing happened to me. I… I was harmed by a powerful man. One of the most powerful men, even. I asked my mistress to help me against him, but the bitch was too afraid of the man and decided to take her anger on the man out on me. She blamed me for things I had no control over and then put a literal curse on me which demolished any hopes for a happy life for me. Now, people have a goal to kill me to prove their strengths and greatness. So, I live here, isolated. These glasses and veil is so that they don't identity me. Also, for protection"
In the end, Percy saw a few years flow down her cheeks. She looked extremely depressed. Her shoulders had slumped and she was resting her hands on the table.
Annabeth spoke up, "I am sorry for that, Aunt Em. I know how it feels to be blamed for mistakes that you haven't commi…."
Annabeth wasn't able to complete the sentence as she was interrupted by an absolutely furious Aunt Em. The elder woman banged her hands on the table and faced Annabeth. Tears were still streaming down her face, but her lips were curled in a snarl and her cheeks were red with anger.
"You don't understand, child. Rather, you can't understand what I went to. It was worse than death. Way worse than death. I have been condemned to a fate worse than hell for no fault of mine. So, don't try to sympathize with me. And if I tell you the woman's name, I am sure you and your friends will side with the woman instead of me. So, don't even try to sympathize with me, daugh……" Aunt Em stopped speaking abruptly and composed herself somewhat.
After a few deep breaths, Aunt Em finally spoke in a calm, yet firm tone. "I do not want to discuss this with you kids. Please continue eating."
The three questers were taken aback by this sudden outburst from the rather kind and collected woman before them. With narrowed eyes, Percy observed that it was as if the words that Annabeth said weren't what made aunt Em react the way she did, but rather it was the fact that Annabeth said those words that angered Aunt Em.
Percy stopped eating and simply grabbed a glass of water. Taking a small sip, he closed his eyes and immersed himself in a deep thought process.
From the moment when they had entered, Aunty Em had been nothing but hospitable. While monsters would usually do the same to trick demigods, Percy could easily tell that the woman in front of them didn't have any malicious intent.
That was until Aunty Em had seen Annabeth. Percy had sensed fear and anger radiating from Aunt Em when she had seen Annabeth. It was as if Annabeth had somehow wronged Aunt Em.
That is when it struck him. The statues outside standing with utterly terrified expressions on their faces. He understood how and why they were so accurate. He also realized why Aunt Em wore a veil on her head and a pair of sunglasses. Also, her story may have been vague, but it perfectly matched the story of one of the most feared ancient Greek monsters.
But.. but then why hadn't he been able to sense her? His senses had never failed in detecting a dangerous monster in close proximity to him. His eyes widened as he had a small epiphany.
He could only sense monsters if they held malicious intent towards others. So, maybe Aunt Em was a monster, just a peaceful one. One who didn't mean to harm others. And it seemed like she had a thorough dislike for Annabeth. But, not killing intent.
That is why his senses had tingled from the start, but had not detected any danger; because there wasn't any.
Now all that remained was seeing what reasons and intentions this woman, now monster, had towards him and his three quest mates. One of his hands crawled into his pocket and pulled out his pen. Holding it in his hand, he was ready to uncap it at any moment and behead the monster in front of him. One wrong move, and there would be two Perseus' to have beheaded Medusa.
Annabeth seemed to have been in deep thought for a few moments before her eyes abruptly widened and she gasped in shock and fear.
Percy groaned internally, knowing what Annabeth had finally realized. And if he was right, Annabeth was going to cause some trouble right now. While he was still thinking of the next course of action, he failed to stop Annabeth from freaking out and bringing trouble.
Said daughter of Athena pointed a finger at Aunt Em in fear and horror and blurted out, "You! You are Medusa, aren't you?"
Grover spit out the piece of food he had just put in his mouth when he heard this. Aunt Em was taken by shock as she reeled back into her chair at the sudden outburst from the daughter of the wisdom goddess.
Percy on the other hand, groaned and slapped his palm to his face.
Medusa didn't take long to recover from her shock and said, "Yes. Yes I am, daughter of Athena. What are you doing to do now? Kill me? Well, go ahead and end this. After all, that's what my life has always been about. Pain, loss and insult. Also, I wouldn't expect anything else from a daughter of that bitch. So come on, cut my head off. I bet your mother would he very happy. Just, end this pitiful existence so that I can at least reform in peace."
The cursed priestess of Athena had started with a burning anger, but as she went on, her voice started to fill with emotion. By the end, she had sunk back into her chair and had resigned herself to a painful decapitation. It was as if she had lost the will to live. She knew that as long as she lived,she would be hunted by the demigods and Hunters of Artemis.
Annabeth was too shocked to do anything as she heard the touching rant of the monster in front of her. Her heart and mind were in a deadly battle against each other. Her mind, which she had gotten from her mother, screamed at her to kill the bitch that defiled her mother's temple. Medusa was cursed by Athena, so it would be fitting for a child of Athena to kill the monster.
But her heart opposed this. It felt the pain that Medusa had behind her words. It asked her one simple question, 'Did Medusa really deserve this?'
And this question was enough to oppose the continuous violent thoughts that her mind created.
The daughter of Athena wouldn't admit it, but for the first time in her life, she had no idea what to do. People would laugh in disbelief that the favoured daughter of Athena didn't know something. But as of now, Annabeth's hands clenched and unclenched the dagger in her hands.
Medusa sensed the turmoil going on inside the Daughter of Athena's head and decided that she needed to take matters in her own hands. Standing up from the chair, she snarled at the female demigod and hissed, "If you don't have it in you to kill you, I am sure that your mother will be disappointed in you. So, let me make it easier for you. If you don't kill me, I will kill you."
Annabeth was still unable to make a decision as her hand clenched against the dagger. Medusa finally had enough of this and lunged at the daughter of Athena.
Before she could reach tey demigod, she was suddenly tackled by something. The two bodies crashed against the wall and slumped to the ground.
Percy had intercepted Medusa's lunge and had tackled her with his shoulders. He had waited all this while to see what Annabeth's reaction to Medusa would be, and he could say that he was sufficiently happy with what he saw.
Unlike what would be expected of a prideful daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase had rather fought her mind that wanted her to kill Medusa. Maybe, she had realized that Medusa wasn't really deserving of the punishment set on her by the wisdom goddess. And it took a lot of willpower to subdue her pride. Percy was happy that Annabeth had subdued her pride as much as possible and had acted maturely.
But for now, he had to deal with Medusa. He wasn't going to kill her, that was for sure. Percy knew that what happened to Medusa was his father's fault first-hand. His father had let his dislike for Athena control him and had ruined the life of this poor girl in the process. Rest assured, Percy was going to have a 'chat' with his father after this quest.
He heard the crunch of something breaking and glanced down to see something that made him gasp in horror. Medusa's sunglasses had fallen off when he had tackled her. And now he had stepped on them. So, if Medusa looked at him or his friends now, they would turn to stone.
He needed to knock his friends out in order to save them. If Medusa used her soft voice, he doubted if they could reject her orders.
Before the lady next to him could regain her bearings, Percy shouted, "Annie, Grover, Medusa has removed her sunglasses. Close your eyes and do not open them. NOW."
His quest mates immediately obeyed his order and shut their eyes tightly. Percy stepped towards them and pinched them on the pressure spots on their necks. His two friends fell to the ground, unconscious.
Percy sighed in relief. At least his friends were out of danger. Now he had to face Medusa himself. He really didn't want to kill her, but if she insisted on fighting, he would have no choice. The safety of his two friends was of utmost importance.
Standing up, he turned around to face Medusa. Biggest mistake he could make.
As soon as he turned, his eyes met a pair of deadly purple eyes. The sclera of the eyes on front of him were pure red. Deep violet pupils that rested in those eyes were scary.
Percy could feel his body stiffen and he knew what was happening. He was turning to stone. The son of Poseidon cursed himself for acting so stupidly. He had literally turned towards Medusa and met her eyes. Now he was paying the price for his carelessness by being turned to stone.
He saw Medusa's eyes widen in shock and horror as she saw him stiffen. Immediately, she shut her eyes and staggered backwards. "See, this is why I was asking you to kill me. Just a moment of eye contact with me is enough to turn a man to stone. I am nothing but a walking toxin. This is my curse. Something I have to live with. And believe me, I'd rather die than kill any more innocent people. I am sorry, Percy. Really sorry."
Medusa put her head in her hands and started to sob uncontrollably. As Percy prepared to be turned into stone, he closed his eyes and awaited the cold grasp of death to approach him.
Immediately, he felt a tingling sensation through his blood and he was able to feel him hands and legs again. He was still a bit stiff, but he knew that he wouldn't be turning to stone. A gasp of disbelief escaped Percy's lips as he patted his body with his hands, checking if he really wasn't turning to stone.
When he realized that he was fine, he let out a laugh of joy. This caused Medusa to raise her head and stare at him with eyes that were filled with tears. Although her eyes didn't turn him to stone now, Percy still flinched a little at the sight of those sinister purple orbs surrounded by blood red.
Medusa was shell shocked when she saw that Percy wasn't affected by her curse. She had been berating herself for killing off another innocent person, when she saw that the blue eyed boy was unharmed.
"H..how? Unless it is an immortal, no one can survive the c..curse of my eyes. H..how is this even possible?" Medusa asked out in equal amounts shock and awe. There was also unmasked relief in her voice at the fact that the demigod was still alive.
Percy was busy checking all over his body, making sure that no part was turned to stone. Once he was sure he was ok, he answered, "To be honest, I don't know. But frankly, I don't care. I am just happy that I won't be dying so soon."
Medusa nodded. "You are right. That was really stupid of me to lock eyes with you, knowing what effect it would have. I am sorry."
Percy waved his hand in dismissal and spoke, "Ahh. Don't apologize. It was actually stupid of me to turn around towards you, even after knowing that your eyes weren't covered by the sunglasses anymore."
Medusa actually chuckled at this and replied, "Yeah. It was extremely stupid and reckless."
Deciding to lighten the mood, Percy spoke haughtily, with mock pride. "Lady, I must let you know that recklessness is one of my best qualities." This elicited a gentle laugh from the now smiling lady in front of him.
Medusa was now smiling slightly, glad to see someone who didn't turn to stone just by looking at her. Moreover, he had not treated her like the monster she was considered to be. Instead, he had acted just the way he would in front of any other lady. This was something that the cursed priestess of Athena was not used to. Even before she was cursed, she was nothing more than an eye-candy for the perverted males in Athens. She had always tried to have friends. But no girl would be her friend as they were all jealous of her looks. Moreover, she couldn't confide in any male as they all just had one goal - to have her in their bed.
The first time she had felt something was when she met Poseidon. She had thought that the sea god really loved her and that he would surely love her till she died. But alas, she was just another one night stand for the king of Atlantis. The worst thing was that Poseidon had used her to taunt and mock Athena. In a way, Medusa blamed herself for the curse that had been placed on her.
The next interaction that she had was with the original Perseus. When she had first felt the aura of Athena coming from the legendary demigod son of Zeus, she had felt hope that it would be for freeing her from her curse. But she couldn't be more wrong. It turns out that Athena was still furious and has blessed Perseus to slay her.
Even Medusa's kids had shunned her from their lives. Chrysaor blamed her for the mutated face that he had, while Pegasus was too ashamed of calling a monster his mother. The only two people who had ever supported her were her sisters. And even they weren't here this time.
It could be said undoubtedly that out of all the people whose lives had been ruined by the Greek gods, Medusa's name came near the top of the list.
The former priestess of Athena was brought out of her brooding by a hand being placed on her shoulder. She flinched at the physical contact, not being used to it.
Percy saw her reaction to the physical contact and immediately pulled back. "Sorry. But you didn't respond when I called your name."
She nodded and replied, "No problem. It's just that I am not used to physical contact after so long of isolation."
A frown made it's way onto Percy's face as he stepped forward and pulled her in a hug. Medusa stiffened when she felt him wrap his hands around her and pull her in. He was 5'5, which was about equal to her 5'6. Not knowing what to do, she just stood there.
Medusa's eyes watered again for what seemed the tenth time that night. This was the first time someone had hugged her in two millennia. Usually, people who came this close to her would be statues or would be men wanting to bed her, but this was different.
This was a simple hug that showed kindness and sympathy.
Sniffling a bit, Medusa asked Percy nervously, "You do know that I can easily kill you now, right?"
She felt him nod his head on her shoulder and reply, "Yes I do."
Medusa grew confused. How could he be so calm when he knew that she could kill him at any moment and he couldn't really do anything about it. Incredulously, she asked, "Then why aren't you scared? Or even nervous for that matter?"
He smiled gently while pulling away and staring at her kindly. "That is because I know that even if you can kill me, you won't."
"But..but I am a monster. One of the most deadly ones. Even if my eyes can't turn you to stone, the snakes on my hair will easily kill you with just one bite. Not to mention my claws that can rip you apart. So, why don't you fear?" Medusa asked in confusion as well as relief. Relief because it was the first time someone thought of her as more than a monster who needed to be killed.
Percy smiled gently and took a moment to speak. He knew that Medusa was already on the verge of an emotional breakdown, he didn't need to push it more. So, he cautiously spoke, "If you really were a monster, would you still be so remorseful about killing someone? Would you still try to stay away from civilization in order to not hurt anyone? Would you still blame yourself for the curse when there is absolutely no fault of yours in it?"
Medusa lowered her eyes and stared at the ground. What Percy said had hit the spot. She knew that however much she denied it, his words were no less than absolutely true. She had distanced herself from civilization in order to not hurt innocent people. Also, she did not hold anger against anyone other than Poseidon, Athena and herself.
Percy could not explain exactly what happened, but a feeling in his gut promoted him to make his next move. He gently used two fingers to lift her chin and make her face him again. Ever so slowly, he lifted the veil that rested on her head. Hissing voices were heard as dozens of snakes were revealed under the veil. The reptiles were scaly grey colored with yellow eyes. They hissed threateningly at Percy, trying to reach him and bite him.
Percy just gazed calmly at them before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Medusa stared at him in confusion and anxiousness as to what he would do next. Suddenly, Percy's eyes snapped open and he stared at the snakes. The only difference was that instead of the lively royal blue irises, they were now dark blue snake slits. The small slit in between the dark blue pupils was a line of yellow that made Percy look extremely scary. Medusa let out a gasp and stepped back in fear.
But the snakes on her head had a completely different reaction to this. Their hissing stopped immediately as they saw the power radiating from the demigod's eyes. Even they knew when they were sorely outclassed. They could sense the smell of Leviathan blood on the boy. If this demigod could kill the mightiest snake known to the entire Greek world, they did not want to mess with him.
They knew that they were nothing more than mere mice in front of this tiger. The snakes bowed their heads in a show of submission and respect. It was really rare for snakes to submit to anyone, but these snakes knew that if they went against him, they were as good as dead. Although the snake is a prideful being, life matters much more than pride.
Percy nodded in satisfaction before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath again. When he opened his eyes after a few seconds, they were back to the mirth filled royal blue eyes with yellow spots and a sea-green border.
He stared into Medusa's eyes and spoke calmly, but kindly, "I know what you are thinking, Medusa. And believe me, I blame my father for your situation as much as you do. I will not defend his actions just because I am his son. While I love my father immeasurably, I am also a prince of the seas. And it is my duty to right the wrongs of the sea. My father has wronged you so much that I don't think I can make up for it, but I can try. And so, I swear on my honor as the prince of Atlantis that I will find a way to end this curse of yours."
Medusa's eyes widened in shock and horror when she heard his oath. Fear filled her as she stepped away from him. "Please don't kill me." She squeaked out in fear.
Percy's lips curled into a frown when he saw that she had misinterpreted his words. "Ohh. No. No. Believe me, I am not planning on killing you. No. Far from that. I am speaking of actually ending your curse."
This time, she relaxed for a brief while, but then suddenly straightenes and gazed at me with horror. "Whattt? Why would you even promise that? You do know that this curse has been set by the full power of an Olympian, right? No matter if you even use your life force, you can not overpower the curse. Even if you manage to somehow remove the curse, you will piss off the entire Olympian council. Surely you wouldn't want that hassle. So, why did you still promise me this?"
"It's because you deserve it. You see, Medusa, I can usually sense a monster near me without fail. That is one sense which has never failed me. Yet, it didn't sense you as a monster. Do you know why?" Percy asked her.
Medusa nodded in genuine curiosity and confusion. How could she not be detected as a monster? Heck, her head was a trophy that each demigod wanted to prove their greatness. It was considered a huge achievement to kill Medusa.
Percy continued speaking, "Well, I have a theory for that. You see, my senses can pick up any monster around me, not kind hearted beings. It can sense beings that have killing intent or are dangerous to me. You, Medusa, may have been cursed to be a monster, and maybe you think of yourself as one too. But deep down, you know that you aren't a monster. You have never hurt a single being purposely. Then, how can you be a monster? You, Medusa, are one of the most kind and gentle souls ever. This is why my senses did not sense you."
Not waiting for Medusa's reaction, Percy carried on, speaking, "As a matter of fact, I am not doing you any favour. I am only trying to rectify a wrongdoing that my father had his hand in. This all was started because of my father, and it shall be brought to an end by me, his son. So, you can say that this is my duty. And about the Olympian council being angered, do no worry about that. You see, I don't like to brag, but I am actually quite liked by the citizens of Atlantis. I don't think they will appreciate it if I am harmed by the Olympians. The Atlantean army is home to some of the greatest warriors. It can easily give the Olympian army a run for it's money. So, I don't think the Olympians will risk harming me and causing a war between them and Atlantis to break out."
"Th...th... thank you so much. You don't know what this means to me, Percy. This.. this is the most that anyone has ever done for me."
"As I said earlier, this is my duty. And I don't require a thank you for performing my duty." He said kindly.
Medusa then got a confused and curious look on her face. "But how do you plan on doing it? As far as I know, not even Hecate can undo this curse."
This got Percy thinking. How could he follow up on his word? He had made a promise and he intended to come true with it. But there was a big, frustrating question in between. HOW?
'Heya dude! Forget me so soon? Aww. I can feel my heart crumbling to pieces.' Percy heard the annoying voice in his head that he had grown accustomed to.
He groaned loudly and shot back mentally, 'Damnn. Are you still there? I thought you vanquished from my mind. Way to ruin the mood.'
No longer had he completed the thought sentence that Percy felt a stinging pain in his head. The sassy little shit staying inside his head had caused this pain.
'Hey!! What the fuck was that for? Also, where were you all these days? And please don't say something that will make me barf out my dinner.' Percy spoke, more like interrogated Ikol.
'I told you I was from another pantheon, right? So, the state I am in right now is about one Percent of my total strength. The camp is Greek and has many Greek enchantments around it. So, I was unable to reach you. But no need to worry, because now your super awesome friend is here to help.'
Percy sighed and barely suppressed another groan. Pushing back his irritation for a moment, Percy asked, 'Hey. Do you think you can do anything about this curse?'
Immediately Ikol replied, 'Wait. Let me check the spell cast on her.
Percy waited in silence for a few moments. Medusa was just staring at him like he had grown a second head. But he didn't pay attention. Seriously, the last thing he wanted to do right now was to explain to her about the annoying, sassy voice in his head.
After waiting for about half a minute, Percy felt the link he had with Ikol reopen. 'So, can you do something?' Percy asked out of curiosity and excitement.
Ikol scoffed in response and replied with, 'Something? Dude. I can literally remove that spell as easily as you can control water. I have only one word to describe that spell - WEAK. Oh. And pathetic. How can they even call this magic? This is a disgrace to my domain. I swear if I ever get my hands on whoever cast this spell, I will…..'
He would have gone on with his rant about how he would torture Athena, but fortunately, Percy cut him off and spoke excitedly. 'Great. So, can you do it now?'
The annoying little shit made a tutting noise and spoke in mock innocence, 'Well, I can do that easily. But…. I have a few conditions.'
Percy did not like how Ikol had said the last part. He knew that Ikol was a notorious fellow and he really did not want to know what the conditions were. But, Ikol was his best shot at this.
'Fine. Name your conditions.' Percy sighed loudly in resignation.
'Ohh. Ok. Firstly, you need to listen to two orders of mine and have to follow them whether you like them or not.' Ikol spoke boldly.
Percy thought about it for a few moments. It was not like Ikol would make him kill himself, or cut off his own dick, right? Gulp. Whatever. Here it goes, thought Percy. 'Fine. The second one?' He asked Ikol.
'The second one is, ….you have to call me Uncle Ikol from now.' Ikol spoke and Percy didn't even need to think about this before accepting it. It was harmless after all.
'Ok, Uncle Ikol. I accept your conditions.' Percy spoke mentally.
Percy felt a strong outburst of emotions from Ikol when he called him 'Uncle Ikol'. But it was gone as soon as it appeared. Percy was thoroughly confused as he had never once felt any emotions from Ikol. He had believed that the psycho voice in his head was incapable of emotions, but clearly, he had been wrong.
As soon as the emotional outburst occurred, it was submerged by Ikol. But it was enough for Percy to feel it too. Percy heard Ikol clear his throat inside his head.
The voice in question then spoke, 'Although this is very easy, it will take a lot of my energy. You know, cz this isn't my full strength, more like a part of my soul. So, if I do this now, I will most likely go dormant for a long time. Maybe even a month.'
Percy was shocked to hear this. 'Huh. Then why were you bitching about the spell being weak just a while ago?'
'I never said it was weak. I just said that it was easy to remove. But I still require a huge amount of power to do so. Normally I wouldn't have any problem with this, but right now, I am merely at one hundredth of my true power.' Was Ikol's reply.
'Fine. Do it now.' Percy spoke finally after a few moments of contemplation. He felt Ikol nod inside his head and suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation in his head.
The next moment, Percy was hit by a sharp sting of pain in the back of his head, which caused him to clutch his head tightly and grit his teeth. The pain only got worse and after a minute or so, Percy was forced to get down to his knees.
Percy felt like someone was using a hand Earth auger to drill a hole in his head. He was unable to even scream in pain as he grit his teeth so tightly, he felt that they would break under the pressure at any moment.
Just when Percy thought the pain was about to kill him, it stopped completely. He felt the coolness of the air around him hit him and it made him shiver slightly.
Percy pressed a hand to his head and started to massage it slightly to relieve him off the after effects of that terrible headache. He was broken out of his actions when he heard Medusa scream loudly in pure agony.
He immediately turned his attention to the lady standing near him. The Gorgon in question was screaming loudly as she clutched her chest. Tears of pain flowed down her cheeks as she gasped to take in as much air as she could. Similar to him, Medusa fell to her feet and started to bang the ground with her fists. After a few moments, her screams stopped as she fell to the floor in a heap. She lay there limp for a few moments, not even breathing.
Percy, genuinely worried about the Gorgon, bent down near her and was about to check on her when he got a strict no from Ikol. The voice inside his head told him that the Gorgon was going through changes and if he touched her right now, there was a possibility that she could suck him dry off his energy like a leech.
With reluctance, Percy restrained himself from touching the lady.
The next moment, Medusa was enveloped in a bright green light which blinded Percy. He had to use his hands to shield his eyes and face. Percy was sure that if he wouldn't have had a connection to the sea, he would have been burnt by the light itself. If this was what Ikol was capable of doing even when he was at his weakest, Percy couldn't even begin to fathom how powerful he really was. This was the first time Percy actually felt thankful that Ikol was on his side.
After a minute or so, the light slowly died down. When it finally cleared up, Percy immediately rushed to where Medusa was laying. The sight laying there in front of him made his jaw drop to the floor.
In the place where the once hideous Gorgon was, now lay an extremely beautiful woman with brown hair covering her faces.
The woman gasped for breath and slowly got to her feet. That is when she saw the other person staring at her in awe and shock.
Medusa got a weird feeling in her chest as she gazed down at her body. What she saw made her tear up in happiness and a happy smile to break out on her face. A choked sob escaped her lips as she turned her gaze to Percy. She saw that his eyes were still on her.
And why would they not? The woman standing in front of Percy could give even the most beautiful mermaids in Atlantis a run for their money. Long brown hair flowed down her head and reached right till her knees. Her eyes were a beautiful violet color, unlike the hideous shade of purple they were before.
Her skin was creamy and pale, enticing the lustful part of the demigod's brain. A perfect hourglass figure along with a sizable bust accentuated her beauty many fold. Percy snapped himself out of his stupid, lustful thoughts by remembering the faces of Hestia, Zoë, Sally and Artemis. After remembering their faces, Percy found that he was no longer affected by the extremely hot body of the woman in front of him. But the one thing that confused him was, before whenever he thought about the girls, he only pictured Artemis, Hestia and Zoë. But this time, Sally had also come to his mind. He had never seen her in that way, what with her being about eight years older than him. But now, all of a sudden, her face had come in front of his mind. He could not understand the reason behind this and clearly, it troubled and frustrated him.
But he decided to leave this matter for another time when he heard a squeak from Medusa.
Returning back to the world of reality, he saw Medusa blushing brightly while covering her body with her hands. Not that she could cover those enormous breasts with those small hands of hers. But then he realized what had happened. In the time he was lost inside his mental world, his gaze had been on Medusa's naked figure, causing the woman to blush and cover herself.
Percy's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as he turned to look away. "I..I am sorry. I didn't mean to stare at you. I was just lost in some thoughts. I didn't mean to make you uneasy."
"It's alright." Medusa squeaked out as she slowly walked towards the dining table and pulled the table cloth up. She wrapped it around herself like a towel to cover herself up. "You can look now. I am decent."
Percy nodded and turned his gaze back to Medusa. "Well, I see that the magic worked." He grinned brightly at her.
Medusa nodded and let out a happy laugh. She ran to him and crushed him in a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You don't know what this means to me. I will forever be in your debt."
"As I said earlier, this is not a favour, but a duty. And I am more than happy to have fulfilled my duty. And moreover, I just gave you what you deserved." Percy stated confidently.
Then he tilted his head and spoke, "But there seems to be one small problem. You have lost immortality that you had received when you became a monster. Now, I think you are simply a mortal."
Medusa seemed to take the news a lot better than Percy had expected. She didn't seem even a tad bit sad about losing the immortality. Instead, she let out a relieved sigh and spoke, "That is actually fine with me. I am tired of living forever. I have seen everything that the world has to offer. Now I think it is time that I live the remaining of my life peacefully before I pass on to Erebos."
Percy seemed confused. "Does the thought of death not scare you? After having lived so long, you get to know that now you can die. A single moment can end your life and send you to Hades. How does this not affect you?"
Medusa smiled and replied, "After you have lived a life long of what I have suffered through, even a few days of normal life seems like a boon. A boon that I have now received thanks to you. Fortunately, this body is in its early twenties, giving me about…. fifty more years of life, at least. I plan to use it wisely and to the fullest, find someone to love, have children, grow old with him, and then die a peaceful, happy death. You may not realize this now, but immortality is as much a curse as it is a boon, Percy." Her words were spoken sagely and registered straight into Percy's mind. He still didn't understand how Medusa could be so calm about the feeling of death, but the way she spoke made him really want to believe her.
Seeing that he had taken care of the matter, Percy remembered that his friends were still knocked out. They could get up anytime now. And Percy really didn't want to explain to Annabeth about why and how he had removed the curse that her mother had placed on Medusa. At least not in the middle of the quest. He really didn't need any drama or disagreements between the three of them during the quest. He would tell her about this once the quest was over.
Percy turned to Medusa and spoke, "Well. Now I think I have completed my end of the bargain. And oh. I almost forgot. Here's a small amount of money for you to start a new life. I'd suggest staying as far away from New York as possible though. Who knows what tricks some Olympians might pull if they come to know of you." He handed her a bag full of drachmas that he had stored as a safe backup for the quest.
Medusa shook her head. "No. You have already done so much for me. I can't accept this."
Percy groaned and then spoke, "Well. If not as a favour, take the money as business. I'll buy all these statues from you. So, this becomes the payment. Fine?"
Medusa smiled and accepted the bag of drachmas from him. "You mister, have an extraordinary mind." She complimented him.
"But yeah. You can keep those hideous things if you want. I sure as hell don't want to." Her expression turned to one of disgust as she turned her head to the statues outside.
Percy noticed this and asked, "What did those men do, that made you turn them into stone?"
Medusa scowled and spoke, "Tried to rape me. That's why there are only males outside."
Percy's expression hardened and his fists clenched. He absolutely hated rapists. He slowly walked out of the room with Medusa following him.
Medusa watched as Percy uncapped his pen, which turned into a celestial bronze sword. He raised it and started to decapitate each statue. Once the last one was done, he turned to her and spoke, "That's what rapists deserve. And believe me, my father's gonna get something worse."
Medusa nodded and followed him inside without speaking another word. Once inside, Percy turned to Medusa and spoke, "Take care Medusa. I wish you a happy and prosperous life from now on. Also, if you ever need help, I am only one Iris message away, okay?"
Medusa nodded and hugged him one more time. "Thanks Percy. And be safe." She leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Percy's cheek.
Percy smiled and nodded to her.
The son of Poseidon and Amphitrite then turned back to his unconscious friends and slowly bent down. He picked Grover up and set him on his shoulder, before picking Annabeth up bridal style.
"Bloody hell. What does this stupid goat even eat?" Percy groaned out as he started to walk outside.
Percy exited the emporium, leaving behind a smiling lady with a bag of coins. After checking the position of the stars, he started to walk towards the West. All the while, he kept his senses on high alert and kept humming the tune to a Justin Bieber song. He was pretty sure that any monster who approached them would die of cardiac failure from listening to Bieber's songs.
He had been walking for about half an hour when he felt Annabeth start to stir in his arms. After a few moments, her grey eyes opened and met his blue ones.
She mumbled something that sounded to Percy like, "Am I still dreaming?" But Percy decided to not comment.
Instead, he smiled cheerily and chirped out, "Good Morning, Annie. Oh wait. It's still night. My bad."
Annabeth let out a choked gasp when she realized that she wasn't dreaming. "Why the Hades are you carrying me bridal style? Put me down." She tried to sound threatening, but her words came out as squeaks of embarrassment.
Percy chuckled and let her down on her feet. They started to walk side by side for a while, Percy still carrying Grover on his shoulders. Suddenly, Annabeth stopped with a jolt and her eyes widened.
"What happened back there? All I remember is Aunty Em being Medusa and her attacking me. After that, I was knocked out by someone. And now I wake up here in the middle of this forest with you and Grover. What? How?" She spoke frantically, trying to find answers to her questions.
Percy placed a hand on her shoulder, immediately calming her down a little. "Annie. Annie, listen to me. Aunty Em wasn't Medusa. She was just a woman who likes to fool people like that. All she was doing was poking fun at you. And those statues outside were for helping her with her pranks. You and Grover were hit by something that made you lose your consciousness. I gave the lady a piece of my mind and now here we are, walking towards the West. Get it?"
Annabeth didn't seem convinced that Aunty Em wasn't actually Medusa, but she let it slide as they hadn't been harmed. Instead, she nodded unsurely and started to walk again.
It was a few minutes later that Grover finally stirred. He woke up to find himself being carried on Percy's shoulder. "Hey man. Put me down." He spoke groggily.
Percy obliged and placed the goat boy down. Seeing that they were all awake now, Percy spoke, "I think we should rest here for the night. It seems quite near to the highway that wild animals won't disturb us. What do you say?"
The other two members of the quest nodded their approval and helped Percy set up their sleeping bags. When they were done with this, Grover turned to the two demigods and spoke, "You two should sleep first. I'll take the first watch."
Annabeth seemed like she wanted to argue, but Percy immediately replied, "Fine by me. As it is, my back is a bit sore from carrying you, Goat boy."
Before the two of his friends could even reply, Percy had climbed into his sleeping bag. Within moments, the soft breathing of the son of Poseidon could be heard. The day's exhausting events had finally taken toll on the prince of Atlantis.
Annabeth let a small smile creep onto her face as she saw the expression of pure innocence that the son of Poseidon had on his face. She swore she could hear him mumble something about a 'Tia' and a 'Zo'. But Annabeth ignored this as she herself got into her sleeping bag. Closing her eyes, she waited for the calming embrace of sleep to take her.
Grover sat on the ground beside them, absent-mindedly fiddling with his reed pipes.
Percy had assumed that he would have a good sleep that would rejuvenate him the next day. Oh. How wrong he was.
To his utter shock, Percy found himself at the edge of a dark pit. He tried to scout his surroundings for an idea of where he was, but all he saw around him was darkness. In the distance, he could hear hisses and growls of some beasts, but they were very far away.
He had never really had dreams. Ikol had told him that he had set up mental barriers in Percy's mind, which prevented him from having dreams, or from random deities who tried to enter his mind. But now that Ikol was incapacitated at the moment, some powerful being had invaded his mind. Percy couldn't believe his bad luck. Not even two hours without Ikol, and he already had a dream.
Percy peered into the pit to see if there was something inside. But, all he could see inside the pit was…. darkness. The pit seemed to go on forever as Percy couldn't make out any bottom point of the pit.
Percy backed away from the lit as much as he could. If his guess about what the pit was was correct, then Percy didn't want to be anywhere near this hellhole. The pit was both literally and metaphorically a hellhole. Percy sure as heck didn't want to jump in to check whether his guess was accurate.
That is when he heard the voice. For a lack of words, it was simply discordant and disagreeable to the ear. "Hello, young Perseus." Were the only words it uttered, but it was enough to make the son of Poseidon clutch his ears in pain. A small whimper escaped Percy's lips as he felt some blood drop from both his ears.
The voice was like that of a knife scraping against rocks. Just a hundred times louder. Percy could literally feel his eardrums screaming at him and begging him to crawl to a corner and die.
"Who the fuck are you? And for Gods' sake, please stop that awful music. Bloody hell, I have heard dying seals make better sounds than this." Percy shouted out to the voice.
The cacophony of sounds that was being made by the being immediately stopped. After a few moments, Percy heard a chuckle. This time, the voice was far more tolerable. It still sounded like metal scraping against stone, but this time, it wasn't as loud as the first time.
"Ohh. You do take after your father don't you? Even Poseidon was rude and sarcastic like you. That was actually the only trait about him that I liked." The voice spoke in a humorous tone.
How Percy knew that it was humorous, when it sounded like it did, don't ask. But he knew that the voice was using humor in it's tone. Also, the voice may know him, but it didn't know that Percy was not Poseidon's blood child. Not that Percy was gonna tell it.
"Answer the damn question. Who the hell are you? And please keep it short. I really, really don't want to listen to your voice for any longer than necessary." Percy scowled.
The chuckling stopped abruptly and a low growl was heard. "You are lucky that you are useful to me, boy. Otherwise I don't forgive this kind of behavior." The voice spoke in a serious tone.
Percy on the other hand didn't look bothered in the slightest. "That may fool any other demigod, but not me. I know that you can't harm me in my own dream. So, stay to the point and state your business."
"Ohh. So you are a clever one. Good. Good. Well, I'll do as you say and come straight to the point. I want you to help me in rising again. I thirst for revenge. Revenge that you will help me gain. So, join me, Perseus, and together we can rule the world." The voice spoke in a confident and convincing voice.
Percy decided that he wanted to know more and thus asked, "Revenge from whom? Also, what's in it for me?"
The voice was silent for a moment before it spoke, "I want revenge against Zeus and his siblings for what they did to me. And if you help me, you can have all the women and enjoyment you want. So, what do you say? Will you join me?"
Percy gained a humorous look on his face and then started to laugh loudly. "Hahaha. You really think you can turn me against my father, huh? Well, ten out of ten for confidence. But no. I'll have to reject your offer. So, it wasn't nice speaking to you, and goodbye. Hope we never meet again. And next time, don't invade my dreams, you creepy stalker."
Saying so, Percy used his mind's strength to overpower the presence and push it away from his mind. The being tried to fight back, but Percy's will overpowered it and was successful in kicking the Intruder out of his mind.
Percy woke up to see Grover just in front of his face. It looked like the satyr was trying to wake him up. When Grover saw that Percy had woken up, he turned back and sat on the ground.
Percy got up slowly and grabbed his bag pack. He took out his toothbrush and toothpaste and started to brush his teeth. He also offered the toothpaste to Annabeth and Grover, only for the satyr to swallow the paste meant for cleaning teeth.
Once done, Grover went towards his sleeping bag and pulled something out from it. On closer inspection, Percy saw that it was a …..pink poodle. Utterly confused, Percy gave Grover a questioning look.
The satyr replied, "I found her near the lake nearby. Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."
The poodle growled and then barked at the son of Poseidon.
Percy gave Grover an incredulous look. "I am not going to say hi to a pink poodle." He spoke with resolve.
Annabeth groaned and chided him. "Percy, I said hi to the pink poodle. Now you say hi to the pink poodle."
The prince of Atlantis just shook his head and replied with finality in his voice, "I am NOT going to say hi to a pink poodle."
Gladiola glared at Percy and started to bark angrily at him. The son of Poseidon got angry and cranky after a few barks and decided to end this. When he saw Annabeth and Grover not looking at him for a minute, he immediately turned his eyes to snake slits and glared back at the stupid poodle. Gladiola immediately shut up and let out a small whimper as she scampered away from the blue eyed boy.
Grover turned to his friend and the pink poodle. When he saw the poodle 's reaction, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to it. He glanced at Percy, but saw that his friend was sitting there calmly, seemingly without a care of the world. Even though Percy seemed quite normal and easy-going, Grover knew that his friend had some deep secrets. Secrets which he intended to find out.
Pushing that thought to the back of his head for the moment, Grover picked up the pink poodle and turned to his friends. "Guys. Gladiola is our ticket to the West. I found out that her owner is some rich lady from around here. There's a two hundred dollar prize on finding and returning her.
Annabeth nodded thoughtfully. "That's great. Two hundred dollars should cover our trip of about two days. This can help us cover a great distance. So, let's get moving, shall we?"
Percy and Grover nodded and quickly packed up their belongings. Within fifteen minutes, they were ready to go. Heading to the city near them, Gladiola led the three questers to a huge mansion near the amtrak station. As they reached inside, an elderly woman answered the door and squealed in delight at the sight of her poodle. She offered them the cash after thanking them profusely.
The money that they had received was only enough to buy them three Amtrak tickets till Denver. As they got onto the train, Percy groaned loudly. Right next to where his seat was supposed to be, was a group of thirteen year old girls.
Now Percy knew that he had way above average looks and that he could charm most girls with just a smile. Thus, he knew that the effect he was going to have on these girls was not something he needed right now.
After taking his seat, Percy immediately tried to act like he was sleeping, hoping that the girls would leave him be. But alas, that was not destined to happen as one of the girls immediately tapped him on the shoulder.
When Percy did not respond, the girl again tapped his shoulder in order to wake him. Percy knew that it was wishful thinking that the girls would leave him alone. So, he slowly opened his eyes and turned to the girl.
She was about thirteen, with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She smiled at him and spoke, "Hello. I am Anna. What's your name?"
Percy was about to answer, before he was cut off by Annabeth speaking, "Hello Anna. This is Percy, and he is not interested in you." Annabeth smiled a sickly sweet smile.
Anna turned red in embarrassment and anger and shot back, "And how do you know? Maybe he is interested in me. Why don't you go back to that nerdy book you were reading and give me and Percy some time to get to know each other?"
Annabeth was taken aback slightly by the girl's answer. She was silent for a moment before she replied with equal ferocity. "I...I know because he's my boyfriend, idiot. And trust me, he's not interested in you."
Anna shut up quickly after that and turned back to her friends. Percy meanwhile gazed at Annabeth with an amused expression, causing the daughter of Athena to blush profusely.
Annabeth glared at him murderously and growled out, "Not a single word from you. Understand?"
Percy nodded immediately and imitated to chain his mouth and throw the key away. Satisfied, Annabeth nodded and went back to reading her book.
It wasn't even two minutes before Percy was bored out of his mind. So, he naturally did the thing he liked to do most - annoy Annabeth. Bending down, he glanced at the cover of the book she was reading.
It was a book written by some mortal about the three godly kingdoms - Olympus, Atlantis and Erebos.
At the moment, she was reading about Atlantis. When Percy saw the image that the stupid mortal author had given for Atlantis, he scoffed and blurted out, "Atlantis is absolutely nothing like that."
Annabeth closed her book and turned to him with challenging eyes. "And you know that… how?" She asked haughtily.
"Ughh. My father visited me in a dream yesterday night. Told me about how he missed mom and all that sappy, cheesy stuff. Just like a stupid cliché from those movies. So, while he was reminiscing about his time with Mom, I took the opportunity to gaze around and see Atlantis." Percy lied straight out his ass.
Annabeth seemed to accept his words and then asked him with genuine curiosity, "So, what is Atlantis actually like?"
Gaining a happy smile on his face, Percy spoke, "Firstly, it is not completely blue like they show it. It is actually made mostly of Sea-green marbles and the palace has structures and statues made with Atlantean silver. Yes, silver mined in Atlantis. It is the strongest and rarest mineral after Chaos metal. And Chaos metal is considered a myth. But Atlantean silver is also rare. Extremely rare. Like, no one other than the royal family can afford it."
Annabeth seemed stunned that Percy knew so much about it. But before she could speak, Percy asked her, "What about you? Seeing that you are a yearly camper, I don't think you have the best relationship with your dad."
Annabeth clenched her fists before speaking, "My dad resents me. Since the day I was born, all he has done is bitch about how he didn't want me and how I was the reason he couldn't reach his true potential and get his dream job."
Percy knew a small bit about her past; Chiron had told him Thalia, Luke and Annabeth's story. Not Percy knew that suppressing her feelings was eating away at Annabeth. And he wanted to help her. He remained silent and let her continue.
"Then after a few years, he married a mortal woman and had 'normal' mortal children. Children who were not 'freaks' according to him. I tried to change myself so that he would like me and treat me like a daughter, but nothing I did seemed to be good enough for him. In the end, I deduced that I was not wanted in their happy family. So, I ran away. On the way, I met a few people. Made friends with them and we traveled to Camp Half-blood." Annabeth spoke, slightly tearing up when she mentioned about her deduction.
Percy was livid at two people. Firstly, Athena for not even asking Annabeth's father whether he wanted a daughter. And secondly at Annabeth's father, for not being there for her even when he was with Annabeth.
Percy let out a small sigh and placed his hand on Annabeth's. He pressed it gently and spoke, "I was never one to understand emotions that well. But even I can see that you are deeply hurt by what your father did. And I won't try to convince you that you should do something that you don't want to. But all I will say is that do not let this get to you. Your father didn't reject you, Annabeth. He didn't deserve such a great child like you. And for that, I will say that he is stupid. But you, Annabeth, are one of the strongest people I have ever met. I won't say that I understand what you went through, because frankly, I don't. But the fact that you emerged so strongly out of this, shows that you are strong and special. And never let anyone state otherwise, okay?"
He could feel Annabeth sniffling slightly and for a moment, Percy thought that he had messed up. But his worries were unfounded as he felt Annabeth grasp his hand.
She pressed it gently before removing it from his arm. "Thank you Percy. I needed that."
Percy nodded and replied, "No problem."
The next two days were hell for Percy. He had grown so bored of sitting in the train that he was planning on jumping out of their window just for some Kind of thrill. But his plan was immediately shot down by Annabeth when she grabbed him and made him sit on his seat quietly. Every ten minutes, Percy would groan loudly, "Are we there yet?" To which Annabeth would reply with a sigh and a no.
Annabeth was completely engrossed in her book for the last two days. And Grover, well all that the satyr had done for the past two days was eat, sleep and try to flirt with the girls sitting beside them. 'Try' because all that he spoke to them was about trees, tin cans and cheese enchiladas. Not really the best topic for wooing a girl.
After a few more agonizing hours, the train finally stopped and the intercom announced that there was going to be a three hour layover before the train departed for Denver. The trio got down at the station. Percy was the first to ask, "Now, what's the plan for these three hours?"
Annabeth spoke up excitedly, "Ohh. We are going to go sightseeing. The Gateway Arch. This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Goat boy, are you coming?"
Grover shrugged and nodded. Annabeth turned to Percy with pleading eyes that the son of Poseidon couldn't possibly say no to. "Fine. We'll see the arch." He said and Annabeth brightened with joy.
"Well, then sightseeing it is. Gateway Arch, here we come." Annabeth spoke giddily and started to drag her two questmates behind her.
Andd wrapp!
14 k Words!
A/N
So, how was it?
Like the interaction between Percy and Medusa?
The pizza scene was something I thought of on the spot. Thought it would be great. XD
Also, how's the new story cover image?
I know I have been sticking too close to canon! here, but trust me, this is the last chapter. From the next chapter, I have some changes planned and thus, I will make the story more interesting. Also, this quest should be over in about two or three more chapters. Believe me, the ending to this quest is gonna be epic.
I like snakes myself. So, for both the stories that I am currently working on, snakes will be Percy's sacred beasts. No arguments about it. Maybe I can have another beast, but the snake is gonna be there.
Tried to change my style of writing a little. So, I wrote this chapter completely in the third POV. So, which is better? Person's POV or third POV?
Also, thanks for the love that you people showed for the new story. For those of you who haven't read it, it is on my profile, by the name, 'Perseus - the Dark Destroyer'. Do read and comment your views on it.
Guys, please vote and comment. It means a lot to me. And if you are readers on Fanfiction, please Favourite and follow. We have crossed 1k follows for this story and I can't be happier. Now let's take this number to 2k.
Ladies in the pairing :
1 Artemis
2 Zoë
3 Hestia
4 Aphrodite
5 Athena
6 Piper
7 Reyna
8 Calypso
9 Sally
10 Thalia
No changes there, obviously.
Ok then.
Thank you
Until next time
Peace out
Darkgamer08