Chapter 6

Percy winced as Cassandra threw another book against the wall. She had been throwing things since Leliana had dragged her back to the War Room, followed by Varric, Solas, and two people she hadn't seen before. Looking down at her new communication mirror, she wished briefly that either Lady Nyx or Lord Chaos would come and explain everything. At least give her some courage in the face of all this attention.

"How about we start from the beginning, shall we?" the lady in gold suggested, finally tired of the Seekers rampage.

"Yes, we will not be able to stop this information from spreading, but we can combat any outrageous rumors, if we have the correct information to spread." Leliana added, her eyes never moving from the Herald's form.

"Okay, my name is Persephone Andromeda Jackson, I am eighteen years old and I come from a different world. Yes, the man you saw earlier is a God, a Greek God. Where I come from the Gods exist, I only know about the Greek Pantheon personally. But I have been told that there are dozens more that might exist. I was sent here to help with everything that has been going on."

Cassandra emitted another harsh noise as she looked around for something to throw. This went against everything she knew and was taught. Gods were blasphemous heresy from barbaric tribes, only the Maker existed. It was true that Andraste was Alamarri, but she was the Bride of the Maker, she had been a divine prophet, blessed by the Maker, it did not matter where she had come from. However, Cassandra couldn't dismiss what she had seen, that man had grown taller than any giant, or dragon, and he had changed a woman into a fox!

"So, you said he was your uncle, yes?"

"Yes, Zeus is my uncle through my father Poseidon. My father is the God of the Seas and holds dominion over horses, floods, storms, droughts, earthquakes, and most bodies of water. His titles are Earthshaker, Stormbringer, and Lord of Horses. He is King to the underwater kingdom known as Atlantis. Due to dad being a God and my mom being a mortal, I am a half-mortal, half-god, known as a Demi-God."

"How?" Varric wondered, his eyes almost popping out of his head at all the new information.

"Well, when a God becomes smitten with a mortal, he or she will oftentimes alter their true state and have wild, hot, passionate sex with said mortal and then either the mortal falls pregnant or the deity does. The child is left to be raised by their mortal parent."

Snorting, Varric grinned back at her, she might be a whatever god, half thing, but she was alright in his books. But it seemed that the Seeker was still in a state of shock, or denial, while it looked like the Spymaster was going to jump Glowbug for more information. Curly and Sunshine both looked as though they were going to faint the more, they heard. Chuckles seemed like he was going to lose some teeth if he tensed his jaw any harder. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the teeth crack.

"Will we be meeting your father?" the woman in gold asked.

"Possibly, normally the Gods can't travel past the barriers between worlds. But since Lord Chaos and Lady Nyx have approved of the travel and there are no active Gods here in Thedas, you might see all the Gods and Goddesses in time."

"What, please, I, how is this possible!" Cassandra cried out finally stopping her rampage.

"I was tasked by Lord Chaos and Lady Nyx to try and prevent this world from being destroyed. I assume it has to do with the giant hole in the sky and before you ask, I don't know why. But when a Primordial makes a request of you, you don't deny them. Not if you want to live."

Percy watched as everyone gathered tried to wrap their minds around what was happening. She felt bad for them, they had just had to deal with the Temple being destroyed and they were trying to keep order and keep people alive. But now they had to deal with the knowledge that other worlds existed and Gods existed.

"Look I can't explain why the Gods do what they do, they're Gods. They can do whatever they want to, without serious consequences or repercussions. The best thing to do is continue on our current course of action and deal with the giant hole in the sky." Percy sighed, growing tired of the conversation. She knew this was a lot to take in, after all she had had trouble when she had been told the truth. But there were decisions to make and things to get done.

"The Herald is right, but before we proceed, might I introduce you to the other advisors of the Inquisition. Commander Cullen, leader of our forces and a former Templar. Lady Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and Chief Diplomat from Rivain. As you know I am Sister Leliana, I am also known as Sister Nightengale and I am the Spymaster for the Inquisition."

Nodding to each person, Percy continued to ignore the glares she was receiving. Closing the Breach was going to require power and she had a feeling that asking for divine assistance would be frowned upon. Until things were more secure, keeping the Gods at a distance would be best. They didn't need any demi-gods running around, aside from herself.

"So does anyone have a plan or any information?"

"At the moment we are alone, the Chantry has denounced us and labeled us heretics. Now that your heritage has been announced if is only a matter of time before they use it against us." Josephine announced.

"The Chantry is useless in a situation like this. They have only words at their disposal and what we need is a force large enough to bring the Templars and Mages to their senses." Cullen added, his opinion well known amongst the others.

"There is something that might help us though, a woman by the name of Mother Giselle is currently offering aid to those in the Hinterlands. She has offered her assistance in regards to those opposing the Inquisition. All she wants is to meet with you in person." Leliana cut in.

"Are you sure it's not a trap?"

"My agents have reported nothing suspicious. Also, a number of agents posted in Haven have reported messages being dispatched out at a rapid rate. I can only assume it is in regards to what happened earlier."

"It's not like it could be a secret forever, let the Mother know I will meet with her. For now, I'm going to appease the masses."

Grabbing Cassandra by the arm, Percy walked out of the War Room and was instantly greeted by a large group of Chantry Sisters. They had been talking amongst themselves and quickly scattered when they saw her. Probably scared she would turn them into an animal. As if. She wasn't a Goddess, she couldn't change a person's shape, or gender. She could control water, and the Earth to a degree. So, she could probably do something to them, but she didn't want to bother with it.

"Alright Cassandra, I know this is a lot and no one is asking you to convert to Polytheism. But if you can't deal with this, I need to know now."

Cassandra stared at the girl before her for a few moments as she processed. She was so young, but she recognized the shadows in her eyes and the bags under her eyes. Her own were very similar. In truth, the appearance of an actual God had thrown her for a loop, along with the knowledge that it brought. But that didn't mean she was going to stand aside and allow the Herald to fight a war she shouldn't have to deal with on her own.

"I will be alright, it's just, could you tell me more about your Gods, it may help ease my discomfort if I had more information."

"Sure, why don't we go somewhere a bit quieter and with less ears." Percy agreed, looking to see if Solas and Varric wanted to join.

"You couldn't keep me away, a whole world that we never knew existed, with real Gods, I couldn't make this shit up." Varric chuckled.

"I would also like to hear about the Gods of your world." Solas added.

Nodding Percy motioned for them to follow her out of the Chantry and into a large congregation of people that immediately began pointing and whispering as they caught sight of her. She hesitated briefly, she really didn't know where to go and the looks and whispering were starting to get to her.

"People in any world can't be subtle, can they?"

"Lord Chaos!"

Chaos grinned at the startled yelp, he had planned on coming to see Persephone later, but it appeared she needed some backup. Zeus and his need to be extra had also made things a little more difficult. No one was supposed to know that Persephone was demi-god so soon, but what's done is done. That favor that Zeus promised him was going to be put to good use, he had plans he needed to fulfil and the dramatic God was making this easier. Plus, he could add a bit more information to Persephone's explanation.

"So, I have to apologize for Zeus, he offered a favor to come to Thedas first, but I didn't think he would stir up a hornet's nest."

"It wasn't completely his fault; words were said and buttons were pushed."

"I know, I watched everything happen. Now, if you will follow me, I will create a nice area for our discussion."

Percy followed after the Primordial, motioning for the other three to follow close after her. Chaos led them out through the gates down to a frozen lake. Waving his hand, a staircase appeared, leading up to a table that had food and drinks laid out. Climbing the stairs, Percy ignored the shouts of surprise from the onlookers. There were smore cookies, chocolate brownies, and some fruity drinks to be had and she was craving some sugar.

"I know that Percy was going to give you a brief explanation, but I was worried she would forget something, so I decided to help."

"I am Chaos, the First Primordial, from me came all others. You will only meet one other Primordial, Nyx, but there are eight more, each bound to their domain. We are the ones who created part of the world Percy comes from."

"Part of the world?" Solas inquired.

"Yes, those who came after us added more and the other pantheons also added to their areas."

"How many pantheons are there?" Varric asked.

"Not sleeping, or faded, around twenty, I don't believe you will be meeting any of them. They tend to stay in their own little area."

"Now from the Primordials you get the Titans. I'm not going into every single one that exists, but they ruled for a time and some that were around during that era considered it a Golden Age. Each Titan ruled over a domain, like the Primordials and Gods. From the Titans came the Gods, Percy would you take over from here." Chaos asked, motioning to the younger woman.

"So, the first six Gods were born from Kronos, King of the Titans, and Rhea, Queen of the Titans. You've met Zeus, the youngest. There is also Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, and Hestia. Like the Titans and Primordials they each rule over certain domains, sometimes overlapping with others. From those six came a ton of other Gods and Goddesses. You have the other Olympians that are considered the most powerful and influential of the Greek Gods. There's Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and Hermes."

Finished Percy nibbled on her cookie as she watched the three take in all the information that had just been dumped on them. She remembered Annabeth drilling the information into her head constantly until she was able to recite everything when asked. Pure torture, but it did keep her from calling out the wrong domain for a God and she didn't get them mixed up anymore. Well, not much anymore, there were still issues.

"Don't worry about remembering any names at the moment. There is still a lot more for you to learn and we haven't gotten into the lesser-known deities. If it helps, I can make a list for you to read and memorize later if you want."

"That would help tremendously." Cassandra admitted.

"Awesome, maybe I could scrounge up a book on Greek myths, stories, and legends. My world has a ton of them." Percy offered.

"I'll send some to you Percy, now before we depart there is a bit more information, I need to tell you. In case you didn't know, the mirror in your trunk is for you to communicate with anyone you call out to. Just say their name and if they have a mirror close by, they will appear." Chaos explained as he floated the group back to the ground, vanishing the table set up.

Ignoring the people that had gathered to kneel on the ground around them, Chaos summoned a necklace and handed it to Percy.

"Wear this necklace at all times, if you are in a situation, you believe you will not survive, smear a drop of blood on the crystal and I will come."

"Thank you, Lord Chaos, I will wear it always."

Chaos nodded in satisfaction, glancing at those still gathered around and kneeling for whatever reason, he wondered what they were trying to do. It looked like they were trying to pray, probably to him. Well, they needed his name, his domain, and an offering to begin with. Especially if they wanted something from him. The more offerings, the higher the chances were that he would listen. You couldn't get something for nothing after all, everything had a price, especially if you were dealing with deities.

"Keep safe, I will see you later."

Percy nodded and waved goodbye as Chaos vanished just as fast as he came. Looking to the others, she also waved to them and began to make her way back to the Chantry. She wanted some more information on this world and she was hoping the ambassador might be willing to offer her some assistance and teach her what she needed to know. Varric followed after her closely, while Cassandra stayed to work out her frustrations on the training dummies. Solas just watched as they dispersed, his eyes were hard and his jaw clenched tight from anger.

The Shems had gained an important ally, brought here from another world to save them. The Herald not only had divine blood, but true divine help. Why were they helping the humans? Why had they never offered help when the Elvehen were in need? Why were the human's worth saving, while his people were made into slaves and their culture all but erased?

"Whatever your thinking stop."

Turning sharply, Solas tried to find the source of the voice, but only found a few humans lingering, but no one close enough to whisper like that in his ear. The voice sounded like the being that had just left. If he was still capable of reaching out after leaving, then he needed to be extra careful with his future plans.

"Give her a chance, she will surprise you. She will also need your help."

*Why help these people, what makes them worthy? * He thought, hoping the person talking could hear him.

"Wait and watch, you will understand in time."

Nodding, Solas made his way to the cabin assigned to him. He would wait and observe as instructed and withhold judgment until he could gain more information about what was happening. It would also help to see the Herald in action. But it wouldn't stop his plans, maybe delay them, but never stop. It was time for things to change and the age of humans was coming to an end.

Meanwhile, Percy was talking to Josephine, she wanted to know more about this world and those living in it. The ambassador was ecstatic to hear that the Herald was interested in Thedas and was eager to start with the basics and the most recent events that were considered to be the reason behind the way things had turned out.

"Thedas is home to humans, elves, dwarves, and Qunari. The elves ruled long ago before their empire fell, no one remembers how. Most live-in slums called Alienages, others live outside city walls. We refer to those that live outside the walls as Dalish. There are others that live as slaves in Tevinter." Josephine started.

"Most dwarves live underground, near the deep roads. Their current King is Behlen. A distant city, known as a thaig was discovered, but they have yet to reach out, so there is not much known about them. The Qunari live far in the North and are generally feared by all others. They are looking to convert everyone in Thedas to the Qun, willing or not, and they have been at war with Tevinter for decades now."

Percy took notes quickly, she had a feeling she would be meeting these groups overtime and it wouldn't do to forget something important. If she had something to go off of, it could help ease any tension that might pop up. Maybe she could ask Varric and Solas for advice, they could have some good insight.

"Now we will focus on the three most recent events that have had a significant impact on Thedas. First is the Fifth Blight, the Champions Tale, and the Fall of the Magi Circles." Josephine announced hold up a thick leather book.

"The Fifth Blight happened ten years ago, a Grey Warden from the Dalish clans was conscripted after contracting the Taint. She and King Alistair were the only wardens to survive Ostagar. They traveled with several companions, Leliana included, so gather an army to fight back the darkspawn and stop the blight. They used Ancient Treaties to gain assistance from Mages, Elves, and Dwarves. At the moment Warden Mahariel is searching for a cure to the Taint."

"Next is the Champion's Tale involving Lady Hawke, who was a refugee from Ferelden that fled during the Fifth Blight. Like the Warden, she had a small group of companions and friends who accompanied her during her time in Kirkwall. Varric was one of her companions, as was the mage who destroyed the Kirkwall Chantry, which helped to ignite the Mage/Templar War. Like the Warden, Hawke is also missing. I believe we have a copy of the Champion's Tale if you would like to read it." Josephine state, receiving a nod from Percy.

"The aftermath of the Kirkwall Chantry being destroyed was the culling of several mage circles. While the mage responsible was an apostate, all mages were being punished. After another assassination attempt on the Divine Justinia, by a mage, brought more restrictions on the circles. They responded by calling for a complete dissolution of all mage circles."

Percy nodded as she listened to the rough breakdown of the events. Just getting the bare bones of what happened wasn't really enough and was confusing as hell. But they could go into more detail at a later date. But the way Josephine spoke of the Grey Warden and the Champion told her a lot. There was awe and respect, maybe a bit of envy, but Josephine held both women in high regard. Maybe too high.

"Question time then. First what is the Blight? What is the Grey Warden searching for? What happened to the mage that destroyed the Chantry?"

"Oh, well, the Blight is when Darkspawn find an Old God, those that the magisters of Old Tevinter used to worship and taint it. This turns the Old God into what we call the Archdemon. Grey Wardens came into being when the First Blight almost swallowed the world. They found a way to master the taint of the darkspawn and used that to defeat the Archdemon, ending the Blight and each one after it. Six old Gods remain that have not been tainted." Leliana explained having stayed for the lesson.

"Grey Wardens ingest Darkspawn blood during a special ritual. Not all survive the ritual and those that do live on borrowed time as becoming a Grey Warden significantly reduces their lifespan. Eventually the taint will cause the Warden to become a ghoul. Before this can happen, the Warden in question goes to the Deep Roads to die in battle against thousands of darkspawn." She continued.

"As for the mage who blew up the Chantry, no one knows for sure. Varric tells different versions of the Champions Tale. But I believe he is dead." Josephine added, making Percy look to the dwarf in question for clarification, but he just kept his head down, writing.

"Okay, another question, why not bind these Old Gods so they can't be tainted? Wouldn't that make it easier to stop Blights from happening and then just wait for the Darkspawn to die off?" Percy inquired, curious about the whole blight thing.

"The Deep Roads reach almost every known corner of Thedas and the Darkspawn have made these roads their home. We also know that Darkspawn are not born of the taint itself, it was discovered by the Warden that women are taken and forced to undergo a transformation. Once transformed they give birth to hundreds of darkspawn before they die. Each race is capable of giving birth to a different type of darkspawn."

Shocked, Percy could only stare at Leliana after that last statement. She understood that women had been kidnapped during every moment in history to bring new blood to different tribes. Vikings were the most well known for doing so, but every culture had participated in the act, Greeks included. The creation of America was the most recent example, they had kidnapped, bought, and sold people for centuries. But the idea of these tainted creatures doing the same sent chills down her spine.

"Alright, so everyone is just going to wait until the Darkspawn are done running through the remaining Old Gods, and then what?"

"We don't know, the Grey Wardens keep their secrets from the world, hold on to them tightly. They might know what could happen, they could have theories, but unless you're a Grey Warden of significant rank it would be impossible to know."

Nodding again, Percy closed her eyes and threw her head back, rubbing her hands over her face. Having to learn everything about a world on the fly was annoying, infuriating, and terrifying. If she didn't pay careful attention to these lessons, she could start a war, accidently get married, or some other catastrophic event that only she could get into. Plus knowing her luck, she was going to uncover some ancient hidden secret, or some horrible conspiracy.

"I need a break, I'm going to my cabin, calling my father, and going to sleep. Catch ya'll tomorrow."

Bolting from the office, Percy ignored the stares as she made for the cabin. Slamming the door closed behind her, she took in a deep breath and tried to hold back the panic she felt building. She couldn't afford to have a breakdown now, there was too much going on, too much to do, to learn, and almost no time to do it in. She needed to talk with her father, immediately.

"Let's see, Lord Chaos said all I needed to do was say the name of the one I wanted and they would respond." She muttered digging around for her mirror, finding it under some dresses.

Squaring her shoulders and giving herself a quick pep talk, she drew in a deep breath and whispered her father's name. The mirror's surface began to swirl silver and gold, giving the illusion of liquid glitter. Soon the colors vanished and her father's haggard face came into view.

"Percy!"

"Dad!"

Father and daughter smiled as the other came into view, but both smiles were darkened by sadness. They had never been this far apart since she was claimed, she loved to visit Atlantis, and go exploring with him and Triton. Dad would visit her and take her to amusement parks and out shopping. The two bonded over the chaos they liked to bring about with little effort. Now they were confined to different worlds, unable to see each other, unless through the mirror.

"Your uncle returned not long ago; I trust those Inquisition people have been treating you well?" Poseidon asked as he tried to control his emotions.

"Dad, their world has been turned upside down, in more ways than one, give them some time and I'm sure they'll become great allies."

Scowling in disdain, Poseidon informed her about everything that had been happening since she disappeared. Thalia and Nico were trying to find a way to Thedas now that they knew where she was. None of their attempts had been successful, but they were both sure that it would only take some time. Clarisse had been picking more fights, with Katie running interference each time. They all missed her greatly and were hoping to be able to visit her soon.

"I haven't told your mother what happened yet, I wanted to talk to you before I did. So, I could tell her, truthfully, I saw that you were well."

"Careful Dad, Mom has a nasty swing when she has her cast iron skillet on hand. Hit Gabe with it once. Beautiful memory."

Poseidon laughed at her warning and quickly went on to the next subject. They talked for a while more before they eventually ran out of topics. Both were reluctant to stop the conversation, but it was getting late and Percy could feel how tired she was getting from all the excitement of the day.

"I love you my little Xenia. Please take care of yourself and don't worry, I will look after Sally." Poseidon promised.

"I love you too dad, make sure you rest and tell everyone I said hi." Percy requested as the mirror went dark.

Placing the mirror down carefully, Percy felt the pressure finally boil over as tears began to run down her face. She had been tossed into a world so foreign from her own, cut off from her loves ones and everything she knew. Clutching her pillow tight, she began sobbing hard, gasping for breath as she tried not to make too much noise. As her tears continued to fall, exhaustion suddenly hit her hard and Percy felt her body go limp as sleep engulfed her suddenly.

Soon after she fell into a deep sleep, a shadow broke off from the corner near the door. Solas looked at the prone form, sprawled over the bed and moved to lay her down properly. Letting his hand caress her cheek, he frowned at how damp it was.

"Don't worry da'len I will work to ensure that this world does not crush your spirit." He whispered, working his magic to ensure Percy had a peaceful night's sleep.

"Sleep well, da'len, we will meet again in the morning."

A/N: I hope ya'll enjoyed both chapters! I would love it if you would leave a review. The next chapter should be out in June, hopefully, but updating will be sporadic.