Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 26– The Quest Begins!

The next morning found me sitting besides Chiron and Dionysus, Percy standing by our side and looking every bit as nervous as one would expect someone in his position to be.

The wine god himself looked relatively relaxed, as if unbothered by the previous day's events. But anyone observing the god could've seen his eyes falling on Percy from time to time, the purple madness inside them igniting ever so slightly each time; probably wondering if offending Poseidon was worth driving the little demigod into madness.

Not wanting to waste my time playing a game as worthless as pinochle, I waved him forth to move on from his melodrama. "I know we've got a quest. Just get on with it."

The gods glare turned to me, though with none of that madness from earlier, before he let lose a loud sigh. "What a waste of time this is. You should just let me incinerate the little runt. Oh, the old barnacle beards will be sad for a few months, throw around a tantrum, drown some unfortunate mortals, maybe rape a couple of fishermen's wives. But he'll get over it."

The booming of thunder from the sea-side rattled the wooden porch, frightening a couple of satyrs tending to Dionysus into a panicked scramble.

"Yeah yeah, same old same old." The god waved it off, before turning towards Percy. "But of course, like he said, you do have a quest. Though if you have even a single sliver of intelligence in that watered-up brain of yours, you'll realize a painless death from me is much more merciful than what Chiron has in store for you. And if you have even a sliver of care for Mikael here, you'll gladly accept your death and not burden him with your unwanted self."

Percy gritted his teeth, his eyes glaring at the god with stinging anger.

"Well then, I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. Your daddy's decision to claim you must've ruffled some feathers; might even have started a war. But what do you care, eh? You heroes just want your quest...every single one of you is the same..."

The god stood up, picking a stray card and transforming it into a security badge.

He halted for a second, turning to Percy grimly, the purple madness flickering in intensity. "Remember this, mortal— Should you ever insult me again, even your father will not be able to save you."

And then he was gone, shifting into a hologram that dissipated like empty wind right in front of our eyes.

I looked at Percy, only to find him on his knees, badly shaking with a hand tightly clutched against his eyes, as if witnessing something truly horrific.

"Woah there Perce," I dragged him up by the arms. "You alright?"

He nodded after a second, looking reluctant to talk. "...Yeah."

"Sit please, Percy. Mikael." Chiron said, looking almost as strained and exhausted as Percy.

'Jeez, am I the only one excited for today? What a bummer.'

I pushed the boy down in a seat, while taking the one Dionysus emptied for myself.

"Tell me Percy," Chiron started. "what did you make of the hellhound?"

The boy shuddered, goosebumps lighting up on his arms.

"It was...terrifying." He said in a small voice. "Without my training, I would've been dead."

I gave him a look of such profound disappointment that had he looked, he would've no doubt died of shame instead.

Fortunately for him, his unfocused eyes were on his own lap. Thus he survived for another day.

Chiron though, simply nodded grimly. "By the time you are done with the quest, you will meet worse, Percy. Far worse."

"I know." The boy replied, this time his eyes were glinting with determination as he straightened. "I know."

"So, will you accept your quest?" Chiron asked.

This time, the boy nodded without any hesitation.

I clapped my hands happily, stifling a yawn of boredom. "Great! Off to the Oracle you go."

"Patience, Mikael." Chiron chided. "Let the boy know what he is facing at the least."

"No need." I replied, dragging Percy to his feet and pushing him inside the Big House. "I already gave him the bare bones of the situation back in the school. Now all he needs to do is...get a prophecy."

Chiron sighed. "Very well then. Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

When Percy was gone from the porch, I turned to the empty space beside Chiron's chair.

"You can come out now." I said.

Neither me nor Chiron were surprised when Annabeth sheepishly came into our view, her Yankee cap in her hand.

She looked suitably embarrassed at being caught but there was a determined glint in her eyes, not unlike Percy.

"Ah, Annabeth." Chiron exclaimed, as if truly surprised.

None of us believed him, and Annabeth's blush intensified even harder at his bad attempt. "I was wondering when I will see you. Indeed, it would seem your time has come."

"So, you want to join this quest?" I asked, raising my legs to plop them right upon the pinochle board, scattering all the cards away, before leaning back with a relaxed sigh.

"You promised me." Anna came to stand beside me, tugging at my arm stubbornly. "You promised me I'll get a quest soon. Both of you did."

I hummed, before arching a brow. "And you'll be fine going on a quest with your assailant?"

She was silent for a moment, before nodding in affirmation.

"Well, you'll have to talk to Percy too. I may lead the quest, but officially it's his."

She scowled but in the end, nodded. Albeit reluctantly. "I will."

When we heard someone climbing down the steps, she quickly wore the cap again, disappearing from our eyes.

Percy came out looking nervous and uncertain, but very much sane. At least, I hoped so.

"Well?" Chiron asked him as he slumped into a chair.

"She said I would retrieve what was stolen." Percy announced, trying to push his hesitation behind a mask of confidence...and failing badly.

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

The boy looked uneasily at me. I nodded back encouragingly, and with a deep breath he continued again. "She . . . she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"Anything else?" Chiron asked, unsatisfied.

As was I.

The boy was silent for a second before he shook his head, unwilling to meet our eyes. "No, that's it."

A lie.

I opened my mouth to call him out on it but a warning glance from Chiron made me stop.

Do not push the boy, the gaze said. It will only make him restless.

I understood, but did not like it.

This was the same like last time, when Luke refused to share the prophecy with me. And the boy had paid heavily for that. We both had.

'Not this time.' I swore. 'I will get the prophecy out of him, even if I have to dangle him upside down into the opening maw of a hellhound.'

"Very well, Percy." Chiron stated disarmingly. "But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

The unease on his face grew even more as he nodded.

"Okay, but who is this god in the west?" The boy asked, trying to change the topic with the subtlety of an anxious bull.

I tsked at the question. "C'mon Perce, you know who the god is."

"...Hades."

"Yep. He's the one who sent the fury and the Minotaur. He is the one who now has your mother. He is the only god that has anything to gain from the two brothers fighting."

I didn't tell them about my or Zeus' concerns. Even if Kronos was truly behind this, Hades had to be linked to it somehow.

"I drew the same conclusion." Chiron agreed. "It would seem your journey will take you to the underworld. Inside Hades's realm."

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy said. "Why are we going there ourselves? We can just tell your dad, Mikael. He can go down there, bust some heads, and get the bolt. Problem solved."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades-and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions, for they are just as much mortal as divine."

"Exactly." I chipped in. "How else do you think I can go on this quest? Simply because I have a piece of mortal soul. That thing is what makes me different than other gods, what makes me special. And that's the thing that makes you special as well. Demigods may not be as powerful as gods, but they have freedom that the gods would never have. Which makes them...good pawns."

Percy digested the info dump with the grace of a 12 year old. Which is to say he scowled like a kid. "You're saying I'm being used."

"We are saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now." Chiron said carefully. "It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

'Immaculate manipulation.' I had to give it to Chiron. The centaur might be a kind uncle type person, but he definitely knows which buttons to push. It would be lucky if my wisdom ever matched his.

Hopefully the system would make it possible.

Still, manipulation or not, the boy's conflicted eyes quickly reached a decision.

"Let me get this straight." He started. "We have to travel to underworld and face the death god."

"Check."

"Find and retrieve the most powerful weapon ever created."

"Che–"

"Not the most powerful weapon ever created...just the most powerful the Greeks have ever created." I corrected him, smirking at Chiron's annoyed sigh.

"Yes, that. Check." The centaur reiterated.

"...Right. And then we have to take this weapon and return it to your father."

I nodded with a bright smile.

"How long do we have?" He finally asked with a sigh, realizing there was no escaping his fate.

"Today is eleventh June. So ten days. We must be done before summer solstice." I replied.

"Okay then. So...where do we go exactly?"

"Los Angeles of course. And boy am I excited."

"Why?"

"Why? Seriously? Cause we'll be going through Vegas of course!"

In all my quest to find demigods, I've always wanted to go to Vegas, but stupid restrictions placed upon me did me dirty. All the things I've heard about it suggested that the place was exactly the same like Vegas of my previous world.

And as the son of Zeus, it was my divine duty to thoroughly check the rumours. Hehe.

"You know the best thing, Perce?" I began daydreaming. "I can just fly us directly to Vegas, no problemo. Which means we'll get extra days to waste in Vegas! I took Luke the same way, directly from camp to–"

"Now now, Mikael. You are forgetting something." Chiron interrupted. "Percy cannot travel through the air, even with you."

It took me moment to realize what he was talking about, but when I finally did catch on, only two words described my feelings.

"Well, Shit."

'Should I ask Zeus to let Percy fly for just this instance?'

...Nah.

He may have been a changed god but in some cases, he was very much the same petty Zeus he once was. Him blaming Poseidon only reiterated that fact.

For a moment I wondered if I should just leave the boy and go off on my own, but quickly dismissed it away. Without the Prophecy, I would need to figure out a lot on my own.

One of the reasons I wasn't the official leader of this quest was due to my inability to get a prophecy. For some reason, the mummified body of our residential seer seem to give absolutely no reaction to my presence.

"You are right." I sighed. "This does put a wretch in our plans. Well, my plans really. I can run thousands of times faster than any car humans have ever created. This is gonna be a long loo-oo-ng journey."

Chiron gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"So when do we leave?"

"In the afternoon, so get ready by then." I replied, my mind still reeling by the fact that I can't fly on this quest. "I have some goodbyes to give. Oh, and we have another member who wants to join us. The decision is completely in your hands."

I quickly left the group as Annabeth revealed herself, still annoyed at the discouraging news.

That annoyance disappeared the moment my feet felt the wooden porch however, taking in the system screen that suddenly popped up.

[Quest Received: A Promise Made, A Promise Kept]

Abide by your promise to Sally and help Percy survive this quest.

Rewards: 10 Levels, 1 to all combat skills

I stared at the box in surprise.

This quest neatly coincided with the one to find the Bolt. I had nothing extra to do than to just stick around Percy. Unless an Olympian was after his life, I doubted any entity could hope to touch the boy without my permission.

'Two birds with one stone. Man, my system is really generous.'

Well, I was never one to look the gift horse in the mouth. Especially not to such delectable rewards.

This is gonna be so fucking worth it.

I just hoped it'll provide me with at least a little excitement.

Cause I had suspicions that being stuck in a car might prove to be more challenging than fighting Ladon.

.

My packing for the quest consisted of just reshuffling my inventory, going through all the objects to see which ones shall have the privilege to accompany me. I decided to leave my books, Thalia's equipment, and Gabriel's gift in the cabin. No one in the camp dared enter my cabin without permission, and should a demigod try so in a moment of stupid bravery, they will find themselves electrocuted to death.

I let the teleportation device, Golden Apple, and Ladon's head sit as they are in my inventory. Golden Apple was just too valuable; if an Olympian does decide to fight me in full force, this could be my ace in the hole, providing me with instant 50 levels. Sure I may lose my specialty and become just another god, but atleast I'll be alive.

Teleportation device I kept cause it was my ticket out of Hades' realm. I may be bold, and rearing to go against him, but I wasn't deluded. Going into hell with plans of vengeance could prove to be a suicide. So should things get too heated up, the device will give me an instant escape route.

Of course, this wouldn't work for my companions, but if it truly came down to them or me, I won't hesitate to sacrifice them. Honestly, the only death that will truly haunt me for a long time would be Annabeth. This was the main reason I left the decision of her inclusion on Percy, hoping against hope that the boy still harbored enough grudge to just reject her.

My packing soon came to completion after refilling one of the slots with 3 more cubes of Ambrosia, and putting a handful of my god-shocker (it ain't no slayer, that's for sure) bugs in another.

Using my inventory as inspiration for the mental image, I was able to massively improve upon the bugs...and yet I doubted it could actually kill a god.

'Whatever. I want to kill my first god with my own hands anyway.'

I still had 6 more slots left after that, though one was reserved for Stormbreaker, while the rest were for any rare monster drops. I wondered if I should take some armor as well, but decided against it. There was no way I was giving up my wings, even for any hypothetical situation, which includes almost dying at Hercules' hands.

Done with my preparations, I took one last look around the cabin before leaving for, what I hoped it to be, a glorious quest.

.

After giving goodbyes to my friends, I waited for the rest of my group to gather at the half-blood hill. I was a tiny bit sad cause Hestia hadn't been present at the hearth, but that was fine. I will tell her all about the quest after coming back.

I simply sat besides Thalia's tree as I waited for my companions, looking at the recently reconstructed land.

My attention then went to my sister, who was now completely covered under vines and bushes, safe from the outside world.

Thalia's Tree

Age: 4 years

Race: Immortal Tree

Tier: 5 (Sealed)

Level: 370 (Sealed)

Divine Power: 0/350,000 (Sealed)

Stamina: 0/378,000 (Sealed)

Health 17/373,000 (Sealed)

Tree's Health: 500,000/500,000

I'd been surprised to note that her levels and power continued to grow even through her sealed state. But it just reiterated to me that she can definitely be saved. Especially when considered that her body was no longer than of a 12 year old. May it be physically or spiritually, the signs all pointed at her being still alive.

'Yeah, she's definitely savable. I just need to go on a journey past the sea of monsters.' And unless I wanted to complete the entire journey flying on my lonesome, with no backup plans, I needed to get Poseidon's blessings and permission.

A good solid team, some satyrs, couple of Athenas, and the quest will be a breeze.

It wasn't that I was underestimating the task or anything. Yeah sure, the Fleece may be lost for centuries, but never had any god tried searching for it have they? And while I may be a discount, domainless, god right now...

I was, still, a god.

A god with a purpose. A purpose that I will not be denied.

I didn't know how long the quest might last, though I'll probably prepare for over a year's trip. I planned to search every single corner of the world afterall.

A clacking of hooves approached from behind, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Are you alright, child?" Chiron asked, announcing his presence.

I hummed. "Just saying my goodbyes. Why do you ask?"

"I worry for you, Mikael." The centaur admitted. "Lady Hera will not stop until she believes you are sufficiently punished. You going on this quest is very brave of you, and while I may want to credit it as a testament to the respect you hold for your friendship with Perseus, I fear that is just not true. Whatever your reasons, you must stay vigilant. At all times."

I smiled slightly at Chiron. "Don't worry, I will. And should Hera send another god, I will deal with them even more swiftly. I am quite powerful as well, you know."

"I do indeed." The Hippocentaur chuckled. "On other news, your father has commanded the wind gods to look for Heracles, so he may be properly punished. He has not been seen from since the day you two destroyed the city."

"Hey, don't throw me in there. If anything, Hera should be held responsible for that. Stupid goddess should've known better."

A growl, low and hurt, made both of us turn to the side. There, standing with all his visible eyes giving us 'The stare', stood our camp guard Argus.

"What?" I frowned. "Innocent lives were lost you know? All because of her pride and stupidity. You can't excuse that, even for your creator."

All the eyes on his body blinked rapidly, as if trying to stop themselves from crying.

I cringed back, realizing I may have fucked up slightly

The giant was known to cause floods when he starts crying. It wasn't good for your health to upset Argus.

He could drown a city in tears and still have plenty to spare.

"There there, Argus." Chiron comforted the emotional giant. "Mikael didn't mean it, I'm sure. No one truly believes Lady Hera to be stupid, I promise you."

The centaur nudged me slightly, and I realized what he wanted.

With a reluctant sigh, I nodded at the Giant, muttering half-heartedly. "Yeah yeah, what he said. I was just joking."

"...You could've just explained the plan and I would've listened..." Percy's snappish voice greeted our ears and we turned to take his and Annabeth's figure slowly climbing up the hill, scowls of discontent stark on their faces.

I sighed, disappointed at the girl's presence. "Well, it seems our time has come. If you see aunt Hestia around the hearth, tell her I'm off to another quest. Tell her I miss her and love her and all that, alright?"

"I will, do not worry." Chiron promised, smiling.

As they both reached our position, Percy's eyes took in Argus and stayed stuck.

"This here, is Argus." Chiron introduced promptly. "He will drive you all to the city, and, err, well...keep an eye on things."

I snickered at the unintentional pun, which was wiped out clean the next second as I saw Luke running towards us with a pair of basketball shoes in his hands.

"Hey!" He panted, coming to a stop. "Glad I caught you."

"...Hi." Percy greeted him uncertainly.

I said nothing, neutral eyes observing as Luke presented those familiar pair of shoes to Percy.

"Just wanted to say good luck, and I thought, you know," He gave a hesitant shrug. "maybe you could use these."

Percy held the shoes up, badly failing at hiding his unimpressed feelings.

Then Luke exclaimed out, "Maia!" and the shoes grew twin white wings, similar to mine but with none of their beauty and majesty (like, obviously), and started flapping off on their own.

A startled Percy let go of the shoes, and the wings gave a few excited flaps before folding back into disappearance.

"That's...wow." Percy muttered, suitably impressed.

I observed the shoes as Luke explained it's functions to his one-man audience,

[Winged Shoes (Unique): A replica of Hermes's Devine Winged-shoes. The shoes are enchanted to forcefully take the user into Tartarus once they enter Underworld]

I sighed, letting my eyes climb up the sky in disappointment, staring forlornly across the world.

This, more than anything, confirmed that Luke was definitely involved in this plot.

'What a cruel world. The boy fell right in front of my eyes, and there was nothing I could do.'

Well...that wasn't entirely true. Perhaps had I been more active in my efforts to drag him away from his path, he could've been salvaged.

I wasn't too beat up on it though. What problems did he face in the camp? I had half the Olympus after my head, if anything it makes more sense for me to stand in his place.

No, while I could've helped him maybe, and that's a big maybe, the blame for his decision falls solely on his own shoulders.

He didn't even have the excuse of immaturity anymore. The boy was older than my mortal self. And I doubted I would've joined the freaking Titans even then.

So with a slightly heavy heart, I bade goodbye to the one whom I once considered friend.

'Should I just kill him now?' I wondered. '...Nah, the aftermath would be too time-consuming.'

Not wanting to waste time explaining my actions, I simply opened my inventory and let one of the six bugs to fly out under the cover of my mist. The small 1 inch hornet-sized killing machine discreetly circled back to Luke, slowly climbing inside the back of his shoes, where it shall lay hidden and inactive, awaiting my command.

The bug might not be able to kill a minor god, but a tier 4 demigod had absolutely no chance of survival. As soon as I gave the command, Luke was a goner. A dead goner.

"Well..." A clap of my hands got their attention. "It's time. We gotta go."

Luke waved us goodbye as he climbed down the hill, and I gave him one last parting nod.

"I won't be able to use this, will I?" Percy muttered in disappointment.

Chiron sighed. "Luke meant well, but taking to the air will not be good for your health."

"I thought so." The boy nodded despondently, before his face lit up and he turned to Annabeth. "Here, you take it. As an apology for...well...beating you up."

I shook my head at the blunt boy, wondering if I should just confiscate the cursed thing.

'...Nah, let them have their fun.' I waved them forth, making for the van. 'I'll destroy it later.'

.

In no time, all three of us were seated in the vehicle, tearing down through the country side. Argus was supposed to drive us till the Manhattan terminal, after which we were on our own.

The only entertainment I received was from watching Percy and Annabeth taking verbal swipes at each other, with Percy losing most of them. That got dry soon though, especially when I had to sit in the middle to prevent them from murdering each other before our mission even started.

Aside from that both the kids spent their time gawking at the passing city as if it was their first time in the outside world.

I sat quietly, like a war veteran joining civilization, bored out of my mind and barely a second away from becoming the-god-of-pathetic deaths. Yeah, dying from boredom seemed like a god worthy achievement.

The speed at which we were travelling was literally as fast as an ant compared to me.

My mood lifted slightly however when Argus drove us past the country side. Because then started the city in which I fought off Hercules.

Or more specifically, the ruins that were left of a once standing city.

While I didn't take any pride in killing defenseless mortals, I was quite thrilled to realize I was capable of destroying cities now.

And stunned to realize exactly what it meant to carry such power.

There was a clear trail of destruction that cut through the city, dividing it into two. Bulldozers and trucks were hard at work to recover any lost bodies from the rubble. And gods was there rubble. The entire city was littering with pieces, big and small, of stone, metal, and concrete. Naturally, the city was held as a restricted area for now. Not that it mattered to us.

This sight, more than anything else, told me I wasn't in some badly written fantasy world, but in an actual reality where my actions may have very real consequences, and not always the good kind.

'And this is all just from my lightning storm.' Chilling shivers spread through me in incredulously.

I could only wonder the destruction I would've brought, had the god given me time to launch my divine Lightning storm, or hell, the Celestial lightning bolt.

...Did that mean I wouldn't use those techniques if pressed?

I snorted. Of course I would. Innocent or not, other lives simply did not matter to me before my own. Even should I need to sacrifice an entire city worth of it.

I wasn't superman. I wasn't a defender of good and innocent. I wasn't a hero.

No point in behaving like morals meant much to me anymore. The old me was dead, the current me wasn't mortal and wasn't bothered by most of the things that'll have made me puke in my past life.

I was a Greek god, and the only morals I had were saved by my mortal wisdom. And the last bit of decency that I clung onto stubbornly.

And hiding from the fact was simple cowardice.

1 Wis

I sighed. The easiest yet most undeserved point gain of my life.

"...How did this happen?" Percy's shocked whisper broke me out of my reverie.

I noted with amusement that his eyes seemed to take in every destroyed McDonald's stand in utter horror.

As if destroying one of them went against everything he'd believed in.

Annabeth on the other hand, was smart enough to connect the dots. "Was this...is this where you fought Heracles?"

I nodded, releasing a soft sigh. "It is."

"Wha...this is because of a fight? A single fight?" Percy exclaimed out, turning in his seat to face me completely. His eyes got even more saucer-like with a sudden realization. "Wait...by Heracles, do you mean Hercules!? You fought Hercules? The Hercules!?"

"Way to state the obvious, seaweed brain." Annabeth quipped, but the same astonishment was present in her eyes as well.

She was simply better in hiding it.

"Oh yeah?" Percy scowled at her, his horror disappearing quickly. "Well sorry that I don't spend eighteen hours a day inside a book like you, wise girl."

"...are you calling me a...a book worm? Seriously!?" A storm, dark and foreboding, began brewing behind Anna's grey eyes as she turned to Percy.

Percy though, looked like his Christmas came early. "Way to state the obvious, wise girl."

I gave a low snort before snapping my fingers. "Alright. Both of you shut it and pay attention. This is important."

My grave tone caught their attention.

"You two may be strong, but you've never been in a true fight. Ever. Yes, even you Anna lite. Watching the aftermath of a war is simply not the same thing."

I could see Argus opening multitude of eyes together, blinking at me with rapt attention.

"You both have no about idea the strength and power you possess. This journey will show you exactly what you are as a being and who you are as a person. And you have to accept it, accept yourselves; both good and bad. Cause in hell, you won't have time for self pity and moral righteousness."

All three of them hung on my words like a gospel.

I nodded outside the window, the death and destruction that we passed.

"What you are seeing right now? This will be a regular occurrence once the actual war starts. And there will be a war, believe me." I stressed, hitting the point home. "And you will be in the thick of it. You will cause destruction, your powers will kill innocents, and you have to accept it. If you can't? Leave America and never return."

As the melancholy mood consumed our vehicle, I leaned back with a sigh, wondering if I should go on.

But they needed to hear this. I can't have a couple of inexperienced brats with knightly morals at my back. I wanted a team of utter badasses who won't hesitate to kill.

Was it wrong to manipulate a couple of 12 year olds? Probably. But if they wanted to survive, they'll be practically forced to adapt.

Thus, I continued. "Cities will be buried in the ground, entire states toppled, all the while our non-divine neighbors go about their lives cluelessly."

"You can see this as an excuse to have some mortal-life crisis of course," I snorted, letting them know exactly what I thought of it. "or you can use this as a motivation to grow even stronger. So that when the time comes, you won't be forced in this position. Ever. So that you can defeat your opponents before they have a chance to cause this type of scenes. And if you don't? Nothing will change but the cause. Now you will be the reason behind things like these. Your powerlessness will let them run amok, and you shall be able to do nothing. Nothing but watch sadly, as your world burns black."

1 Wis

Wisdom: 16/35 (Immortal's Wisdom)

The kids were grim and silent for the rest of the ride, and I wondered if I overdid it a little.

Though after mulling over my own words however, I realized how true they really were.

The world was full of powerful monsters, and destruction will always follow in their wake. If you are strong enough to stop it? Good for you. If not? Watch as they ruin your world.

Cause all you shall be able to do is escape.

I may have given the speech to jolt the kids out of their safety-net mindset, but it was accurate enough that they'd do well to heed it.

The grimness in the van was soon broken when Argus dropped us by the Greyhound station on the upper East side. It wasn't far from Sally's apartment, and I wondered what happened of the Ugliano man now that Sally wasn't around. Will my spell be broken or will he become a vegetable without sally to control him?

Not that I cared about the man of course.

I then noticed a picture of Percy stuck on an announcement written in bold letters over it; HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

The boy in question quickly ripped it down and looked at Annabeth and me to see if we saw his 'dirty little secrets'.

'Well, that answers my question.' Gabe must've been back to normal, cause no one else would make a criminal out of Percy.

Argus removed both of my companions bags, before driving off, back to the camp.

"C'mon, you two." I waved the two kids to follow. "I have a better idea than a public bus."

In no time, we were speeding down the 9th Avenue in a comfortably large SUV, a wonderful feeling of adventurous excitement spreading from me for the first time in quite a while.

Finally, I was going on a real quest again. A quest that was guaranteed to be written down in the annals of Greek history.

As satisfying as rescuing demigods was, it wasn't a true quest. And I'd longed for a real quest since forever.

The quest to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt sounded as grand a venture worthy of the likes of Hercules, Theseus, and Achilles. A quest to stop the brewing of war, a quest that balanced the weight of the entire Greek future upon its shoulder...a quest to be remembered by.

While I usually wouldn't consider myself a glory hound, there was definitely a part of me that thirsted for recognition. To have my power acknowledged.

I needed to create a legend worthy of my power.

Whoever sent me to this world, whoever gave me the system...I hoped to prove that I haven't squandered it. And this quest shall be my way to do so.

Everyone will now know the name of Mikael Gabrielson, the youngest god to grace the Greeks.

The Mortal God of Olympus.

AN: And the prologue's done! Now onto the actual quest!

I know things have been a little slow and calm for the past couple of chapters, hope no one's annoyed by that. We'll have some action in the next chapter, no worries (though the main action is gonna come in Ch.29 which I've just finished posting on Pat reon, so just be a teensy bit patient).

Second, I'm roughly following the lightning thief plot until my changes take effect and everything goes to shit. The climax of this arc will tell you exactly what the overarching plot for this fic is, and how dxd ties within it.

Third, I know some of you might get worried so I'm clearing this now: don't worry about Mikael thinking he'll need a full crew to brave the sea of monsters. I'm not gonna waste too much time on it.

And last, I just know again, that some more of you will be annoyed by Mikael not straight up killing Luke, but it wouldn't have worked either way due to spoiler reasons (it has something to do with Khaos Brigade)

Well, that's all for today's chapter. Hope all of you enjoyed!

My discord: discord .gg/9wpfysDGsz to discuss fics and chill.

My Pat reon: www. Pat reon com/ Robs511 (No spaces and a dot before com) for anyone who wants to read upto the next three chaps of all my fics.

I'll see you all in the next post. Until then, take care and peace!

P.S: Next chap is for SOW on 2nd April (though I might take an extra day for this cause I'm writing the climax of world cup arc), while the next MGO chap will be on 8 or 9.