Chapter 23
It was clear the creatures of the Ocean were expecting Percy. Every creature he came across was more than happy to give him directions towards Atlantis. It took several hours swimming at a speed most boats would be jealous of, but eventually he came into a massive opening where the underwater city opened up to him.
It was like coming into any major city in the world above. Skyscrapers stood tall as anything the mortals could conceive, and at the top of it all was his fathers palace. As he swam towards the city he was greeted by an emissary of armed dolphins warriors. The lead creature approached him raising its fin towards its head, "Prince Perseus. Welcome to Atlantis. You are just in time for the wedding. You will need to get changed, and see your brother, but you must move quickly."
Percy's eyes widened, "The wedding? It's today?"
The lead dolphin gave him a look that seemed like a grin, "We have had scouts all around the city waiting for your arrival. You waited as long as possible, but there is still time to go."
Thinking that he was coming into battle he was pleased that his summoning wasn't going to result in massive bloodshed. Percy grinned back at the dolphin, "Please sir lead the way."
The dolphin nodded, "Delphin at your service Prince Perseus. Grab my fin, I will get us there faster."
Realizing just which Lord of the Ocean he was talking to Percy spoke gratefully as he grabbed onto the fin, "Thank you for listening to my prayers the other night. I prayed to each of the Lords of the Ocean in my battle with the Trojan Sea Monster, and any bit of strength I received was from all of you I am grateful for."
The dolphin was definitely grinning now as he swam at full speed towards the palace that stood atop of the city in Atlantis. Many people who saw him and the Dolphin Lord swimming by waved, and cheered at his arrival, while Delphin exclaimed, "Your fight with the Trojan Sea Monster has reached the ears of people even down here, and all are thrilled to know we have another powerful prince amongst our midst. Your call to the Lords of the Ocean was heard by everyone in Atlantis, and our people are proud to know you remember your roots in desperate times."
Percy felt his heart pump a little faster at the compliment from the dolphin lord, and the grin was now threatening to split his face as they arrived at the palace greeted by armed guards who saluted the two as they passed.
Arriving at the palace of Neptune was much more exciting than the last time he arrived. When he came before the high sea council the corridors had been empty, and though he had been saluted before those creatures looked angry, and scared this time however it was smiles along with cheers.
Delphin led Percy through the palace where he was certain he recognized several other lords of the Ocean, and wanted to greet them all but Delphin never stopped or slowed down. After several more minutes of crossing through the palace they came to a large door with a trident on it. Delphin knocked on the door, and stopped waiting for an answer from the other side when the door suddenly opened, and a humanoid in Atlantean armor stood just inside the doorway with a huge smile. The man was seven foot tall with lima green scales all over his body, and with his armor he looked like a hulk.
When his eyes fell to Percy he grinned, "Look at my little brother deciding to grace us with his presence. Thought you were going to miss my wedding."
Percy rolled his eyes, striding forward, "Would've been here sooner if father would've passed the message along a little more directly."
A booming powerful voice came from deeper within the room, "Apologies my son, my messenger is a little busy today."
Percy's eyes widened as a man came from out of a room in the corner. Standing at equal height to the green scaled humanoid he was sporting well trimmed facial hair, and a crown on his head. If the crown didn't tell who the man was his sea green eyes that were the exact same shade as Percy's would have. Percy bowed deeply to the man, "Father. Thank you for inviting me today."
Neptune strolled over to his son putting a hand on his shoulder, and then another on Triton's, "It is a momentous occasion for a prince of Atlantis to be married. The fact that my youngest son is here and welcomed is a historical occasion in itself. Two of my sons in one place has rarely occurred, and I am very happy for this occasion."
Percy smiled at his father for the first time, and Triton said, "Well let's get Percy a change of clothes. Can't have a prince of Atlantis looking like a surface dweller on my wedding day."
With that Triton snapped his fingers, and two mermen came floating into the room. Triton spoke to them happily, "Rog, Grog, take my brother and get him ready. We don't have a ton of time, so do what you can."
The two mermen immediately swam over speaking another language, and carted him off towards a nearby room to his protests making his brother, and father laugh. The two mermen took his brother's request to heart, and had him in tight fitting armor before he knew it.
When Percy was returned he saw Triton looking at himself in the mirror, and before he could speak Triton said, "You can keep that armor in a room here. It is designed for underwater combat, and it may prove useful to you if you participate in the coming battles down here."
The mention of the battles to come had Percy on his back foot, "I had heard Oceanus left with other Atlanteans. How bad is it?"
Triton sighed, "Oceanus stayed neutral in the last Titan War. I was born just after the Titan War ended. I am sure you remember when our father married my mother Salacia it was partly to appease Oceanus. It was his oldest daughter, and it allowed him to remain in a somewhat powerful position in the Ocean. He has advised our father for thousands of years, and as long as I have been alive. It's not a good sign that my grandfather has decided to side with Saturn. I am almost certain he wouldn't have flopped sides if he wasn't certain the Titans would win. He tried to recruit me before he left…"
Percy's eyes widened, "Oceanus wanted you to oppose our father?"
The large Atlantean turned to face his brother, "We had always been close. When I was a young immortal he always took special interest in me, and my training. Gifted me the best weapons, and in turn I was very fond of him. Had his offer come in ten years ago I might've accepted. My relationship with our father had been rocky for quite some time, but then you came along."
"I don't understand." Percy admitted.
Triton grinned, "Right before you made it to Camp Jupiter our father came to me, and made me a lot of promises. He had always kept me on a pretty tight leash around here, and I think he worried about my connection with Oceanus, but then he allowed me to court Thetis, and made my power as a Prince more versatile in the city. It was more responsibility, but it's what I have wanted. The conditions were simple. A few hours with you every week and as the years passed I enjoyed having you as a protege. I had never trained a surface dweller before, and you were a new challenge. Father and I often discussed for many hours your progress, and our hopes for the future of our house on Olympus. Through this we bonded, and became closer than we have in a very long time. Besides, Thetis is very loyal to Olympus, and her son would never go against Atlantis."
Percy stared at the man, "Achilles? He is here?"
Triton chuckled, "Of course, and believe me you are going to meet him. We had to pull some strings to bend the ancient laws around to get you here, and let's just say it's going to be an interesting day. You brought Riptide right?"
Suddenly Percy had a nervous feeling in his gut, but he nodded in assent, making Triton just nod his head in approval. A knock on the door came, and a mermaid poked his head in, "Lord Triton, they are ready for you and Prince Perseus."
Triton clapped his hands, and began walking towards the door, "Excellent! Come my brother destiny awaits me at the altar."
The ceremony was beautiful. Percy stood with Triton at the altar, and thousands had gathered in an open water area with stunning arrays of plants and flowers. Neptune himself stood at the top of the altar with a large smile on his face, and Queen Salacia stood just off to his left looking quite happy as well. It wasn't long before Percy first laid eyes on Thetis. The beautiful black haired woman was being escorted by a tall man who looked slightly like Mars Ultor. He was tall and buff with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair. The man had the look of a great warrior, and it took all of three seconds to realize he was seeing Achilles for the first time. The man's eyes locked on him at some point as they were walking down the long aisle for Atlanteans, and he gave a slight nod to Percy somehow in recognition.
That nervous feeling in Percy's gut had returned, but he pushed it down as Thetis was handed off by Achillies to the outstretched hands of Triton. Achilles took several steps to the side, and went to stand behind his mother with a slight grin on his face.
Neptune called through the processions, and Percy listened to the vows that were given by Triton and Thetis. The woman was truly stunning, and the smile on his brother's face was so big he was sure his jaw would be sore the next day. When the two met for their first kiss and declared eternally bound Lord Neptune clapped his hand making it sound like a shotgun blast, "My people I present you the Heir and Heiress to Atlantis! Now make your way to the arena for the wedding's entertainment."
This led to cheers, applause, and immediate talk. Triton had his head pressed against Thetis' as the people began to depart, and the two began to talk in hushed whispers. Percy walked over to his father with a smile, "Thanks again for inviting me down to your home father...so what's the entertainment in the stadium?"
Salacia who was off to his right immediately came into conversation looking furious, "You didn't tell the boy how you bent the ancient laws to get him here?"
Neptune looked abashed, "I thought I mentioned it when he arrived. It's not like he had a choice to refuse. Juno insisted that he ended up with the three artifacts of Troy, and this was just my way of helping his journey."
Percy's mind went on red alert at these words, "Dad...Lord Neptune what's going on?"
Before he could speak Salacia came forward in her green armor, and flowing black hair that held strange little horns like crab claws. She was stunningly beautiful, and Percy looked at her carefully as if he thought she might strike him, "You must do battle with Thetis' son. He holds the spear of Hektor, a prize that he took when he killed the greatest Trojan in battle all those years ago. Your fight will not be to the death, but incapacitation. Your father convinced Jupiter that you needed to be down here to battle for the spear so you could follow his wifes plan. It only turns out to be a coincidence that you had the opportunity to be here for my son's wedding."
Percy's head whipped to Neptune, "Did Triton know about this?"
His father grinned putting a hand on his shoulder, "Knew about it? It was his idea."
Percy turned to see Triton and Thetis following the crowd towards a large stadium in the distance with Achilles no longer in sight. Percy suddenly felt like armor was too tight to his body and he was going to have a hard time breathing. Even Rome recognized that Achilies was one of the greatest warriors to ever live, and Percy was going to beat him in his immortal form, "What do the people know of our contest?"
"They think it is just wedding entertainment. A little friendly contest between Triton's protege, and Thetis' son. No one is expecting you to win, and no one knows what is on the line." Salacia said calmly, "My son believed you could win this match. Achilles may be a son of the sea, and therefore stronger in this domain, but you are a Prince of Atlantis, and this domain bows to your will as it does your father. You are at an advantage."
Neptune remained silent during the exchange, and looked at his son with interest when Percy asked, "I thought my powers didn't work the same down here?"
The Lord of the Seas grinned, "They don't but that doesn't mean you don't have any. You have Riptide as well which will carve through the ocean with fluidity that not many blades could match, but we must go and entertain our people!"
With that Neptune made his trident appear in his hands, and he wrapped it on the ground enveloping the three in golden light, and Percy's eyes closed as he felt the familiar power wrap around him. When he opened his eyes bright lights filled his vision, and a stadium more massive than anything he had ever seen stood before him. He was standing at the end of a tunnel looking out towards tens if not hundreds of thousands of Atlanteans. He took a few steps out into the light where people could suddenly see him and a deafening chant went up, "Son of the Sea! Son of the Sea! Percy! Percy! Percy!"
A grin immediately began to appear on his face. He had never been so warmly welcomed by a crowd. He immediately reached into his pocket, and summoned riptide to screams, applause, and cheers. He felt the high of adrenaline pumping through his veins as his name was continuously chanted by the crowd. He may not have been told why he was here, but knowing that his life wasn't in jeopardy made him feel like he was back at camp preparing for the gladiator challenge. He closed his eyes briefly trying to bring all his nerves under control. This wasn't a fight to the death, but nevertheless he had to win. The Spear of Hektor belonged with Rome, and it belonged to him. It didn't matter that he would be coming face to face with the greatest warrior in history. He would win. This was his fathers domain. Where he was at his strongest. He would not fail.
A man stepped out from the tunnel on the opposite side of the stadium, and the crowd exploded once again, "Warrior! Warrior! Warrior!"
Achilles however did not acknowledge the chants as he made long strides to get him to the center, and Percy followed his lead until they were about fifteen feet apart. Riptide was already in Percy's hand, but in the hand of Achilles only a gold baton was noticeably drawn.
A voice boomed overhead, "Welcome people of Atlantis. My people, my soldiers, my friends, and my family I welcome you all to this exhibition match. My brother stands before you against who was once the greatest mortal warrior in history. Master Achilies was granted immortality by my father many eons ago, and now we all stand here to see this master of arms take on a prince of the sea, and my own protege, PERCY JACKSON!"
The chants restarted fresh, "Son of the sea! Son of the Sea! Son of the Sea! Percy! Percy! Percy!"
"Fighters to arms!" Triton called, and when he did Achilies flick the baton in his hand out until it grew into a nearly seven foot long staff with a wicked spear tip sprouting out at the end. The solid gold looking weapon had hints of steel in it, and Percy knew this was no ordinary weapon. This was the legendary spear he was after, "Master Achilles, I wish you no harm, but that weapon belongs to the people of Rome, and I will need it to defeat the Titans."
The man stared at Percy with a calculating look, "Then you must come forth and take it from me young demigod."
"Fighters bow." Triton called, and they both in a show of respect turned towards the box where Triton, Neptune, Salacia, and Thetis sat, giving first a bow to them, and then turning to bow to each other when Triton called out, "FIGHT!"
Percy barely had time to raise his weapon as the Achilies closed the fifteen yard gap between them with his spear so fast he almost lost his stomach right out of the gate, but with a swift block and counter the two were exchanging hits rapidly.
It took no time for Percy to realize that Achilies was not going 100%. He was testing Percy the entire time. Pushing his defenses to a breaking point, and then pushing them beyond what he thought possible before allowing Percy to return fire. Achilles was faster than Luke and Mark easily. His technique was flawless, and there wasn't a single wasted movement anywhere in his fighting, yet somehow Percy was keeping up. There were several close calls, but Percy remained in the fight. The cheers, and awe of the crowd kept him pushing himself as hard as he could.
Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. Twenty. Even most of the greatest demigods in camp would've lost by now due to exhaustion, but Triton had prepared Percy for this. Thirty minutes came, and with a roar of frustration Percy swiped his hand through the air and a blast of force hit Achilles from the side giving Percy a quick chance to land a punch on the immortal's face while was off balance. He thought there would be a first blood at this point, but instead Percy felt like he had punched a steel wall. His hand felt like it fractured, and he wanted to yell in pain, but instead he bit his lip hard and swore internally at himself. Obviously the man's skin was invulnerable, and he couldn't go after his only weak spot without seriously harming the immortal, which was not the intention either. He was certain Thetis would not appreciate it if her brother in law seriously harmed her only son, and Percy felt stupid for not going for an epic disarm attempt when he had the man off balance. The crowd was on its feet though, and clearly excited Percy had landed the first clean contact. Achilles grunted at Percy, "That was foolish."
Percy nodded his head, "Agreed."
With that Achilies rushed back forward, and the two continued to hammer it out. Riptide was something truly special in Percy's hand. When he had wielded it before against Mark it seemed to almost resist him, but now it felt like an extension of his arm. It perfectly moved through the water exactly as he expected it too. It wasn't long however before Percy felt the first sign of something he hadn't felt in a while. Exhaustion. He had never dueled with an opponent of Achilies caliber before, and it was becoming clearer to the son of Neptune that the man's main desire was to push him to his breaking point, and see every ounce of skill he possessed
With exhaustion setting in Achilles attacked like a shark smelling blood. The first blood went to him as he whirled around in a huge whirlwind strike knocking Percy off his feet, slamming his head with the butt of his staff making his nose erupt in blood. That might've been the end of the fight if they weren't in the ocean, but his head cleared quickly in time to see Achilies preparing to level his spear at his chest, and with another blast of force he was thrown backwards giving the son of the sea time to rise to his feet. The crowd was roaring with approval from the entertainment, and Percy knew he had to end this.
With a stomp of his foot the entire world began to shake and Percy surged forward pushing his advantage. Achilles looked surprised at the power outburst from Percy, and his eyes widened as Percy roared with a flurry of attacks. The ground was still shaking, and Percy was hacking at the man who was now struggling to keep up with his attacks and hold his balance. In the time Percy was wreaking havoc he landed two blows that would've killed a normal man, and on the third he grabbed the staff part of the spear that met his sword in a duel and hit Achilles with another blast of force knocking him backwards without his weapon. Percy held the weapon in the air and screamed in triumph, and the crowd screamed back in response."
Achilles looked surprised by his defeat, and walked over to Percy standing before him. The two stared at each other for a moment when Achilles offered his hand to the young man and Percy took it with a grin. The son of Thetis pulled the boy into an embrace where he whispered into his ear, "You are powerful, and a good swordsman but it is not enough. Visit me in the Underworld sometime, and we will even the odds for your destiny."
With that the two separated and Percy stared at the man realizing his feeling in battle was true. Achilles likely would have beaten him several times throughout their duel, but he knew the spear belonged to Percy and Rome. He allowed Percy to beat him in a way, but not without the greatest fight of his life testing every bit of skill he had.
The crowd roared its approval for what seemed like forever, and with sometime he ran back to the tunnel he arrived in and found Triton there waiting to greet him with a grin, "You looked good. Your tactics needs a little improvement, and your feint is still a little sloppy, but well done. You now hold two of your people's artifacts. I believe the third you will not have to fight for your life to get."
Percy sighed, "That's a relief. I am really tired of fighting right now."
"I fear the worst is yet to come for us all." The voice of his father said coming from further down the tunnel.
Turning to the man who was still wearing his full green and blue battle Percy gave a slight bow, "Father I am here at your disposal. Whatever you need I am here to help."
Neptune merely smiled at his son, "You've done enough. We must celebrate through the next few days. I am afraid my interaction with you Perseus needs to be minimal from here, but know that we are all proud of you. I feel the power flowing through my Roman form as they build my temple on the hill. You righted a great wrong to our house. You have done very well. Continue to make us proud Perseus."
"I will do my best, father."
"As for what you can do down here I am afraid you are going to have to leave Oceanus and his band of traitors to us. You have your own fight on the surface world, and while I believe our fight with Oceanus can be energy and time consuming he will not defeat us. I cannot say the same for the world above if my father returns to full strength. Your focus must remain there." Neptune commanded.
"Yes father."
"Good now, celebrate my sons! Tomorrow Perseus you may return to the legion. I will see you again."
With that the man disappeared in a mist, and the two sons of the sea were left alone.
(A/N) Dark times ahead for our hero. We can only hope he and his allies prevail. Welcome back readers! We should be back on our normal every other week updates, and my beta and I should be catching these chapters up over the month of July. I would next expect to see a fully beta and improved work until we get to the Chapter 25 update at the end of the month. I still have about 3 months of updates left ready for you guys, and I admit I am stuck somewhere around the Battle of the Labyrinth as I have been for the past few months. JamesMarx my new beta might have some ideas for it when we get there, but until then thanks for tuning in, and I will see you guys in two weeks.
PS: For my American readers, Happy 4th, and 'MURICA.
