Everything was still.
Not a single sound could be heard in the throne room of Tartarus. Instead, four beings stood motionless, three of them utterly confused and shocked, while the other stood by watching amused.
Medusa kept her eyes fixed downward. They were wide, her emerald iris' on full display, and her mouth slightly agape. Slowly, she began flexing her left hand, the one that had been gone for three years, and the one she thought she wouldn't see for many more. She squeezed her fingers a bit and watched as they gradually opened again. She admired the smooth skin, running her fingers along her arm and loving the slightly bronze glow rather than the light green she was used to.
Quickly though, her wide eyes continued down, until she was gazing at the appendages she hadn't seen in millennia. Without saying anything, she broke out into a complete sprint, racing around the throne room, jumping with joy and shouting with glee. The three other beings just watched her run around like a child, the only sound admitted being her bare feet on the cool marbled floor. She suddenly came to an abrupt stop, plopping down on the flood and, like what she did with her arm, ran her fingers across long, lost legs. Her eyes shone with elation, a wide smile on her face, the largest Percy had ever seen on his companion.
Percy, to say the least, was shocked. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to do. He just stood there, seemingly frozen in one spot, looking dumb with a facial expression that could be described as confused, shocked, happy, and awed at the same time. In place of his gorgon, monster, acquaintance, was now a beautiful woman. He now knew why his dad was so enamored with her. He even thought that maybe Athena just cursed her because she was jealous of her good looks. But he quickly pushed those thoughts away, trying not to think that way about his companion, considering they had more pressing matters to deal with.
He walked over to Medusa, who was still sitting on the floor, spinning on her butt like a top with her legs extended outward. She was having way too much fun with this, Percy thought, but he guessed that it was reasonable considering how long she was without them.
"So." Percy started. "Looks like someone's having a good time." He said, not able to contain a smile.
Medusa spun around until she was facing him, the huge smile still on her face making her look like a kid in a candy shop. It was an expression Percy never in a million years expected to see grace her face.
"They're back!" she exclaimed, gesturing to her legs. "I'm back! My curse is gone!"
Before anything else was said, Tartarus intervened. "Well not quite." He simply said.
Medusa and Percy both turned their attention to the primordial, their eyes baffled and urging him to continue. He nodded his head and continued.
"Your body may have returned to its original form, but the curse still lies within you. It's just…" he paused for moment. "altered." He completed.
"What do you mean by altered." Medusa asked a bit timidly as she stood up, fearing that she hadn't escaped the grips of Athena's curse.
"Do not worry Miss. Medusa, I assure you it is nothing you need to worry about. If you'd like, I can explain it all later, but we are expecting some guests now that you both have achieved Godhood." Tartarus said.
Right after he said that, a bright light was emitted behind Percy and Medusa. They turned around, instinctively squinting their eyes at the possibility of being vaporized, only to find out that the brightness had no effect on them. Emerging from the lights stood three stunning women, all fairly short, dressed elegantly in white Greek robes. But when the light died down, they began to change, their smooth skin began shriveling up into thousands of wrinkles and the elegant robes turned dark brown and looked worn. The worst change was that all their eyes decomposed into dust with only one remaining in the right hole of the middle woman.
She spoke with an enraged tone. "Tartarus, what have you done! This was not in Fate's course."
"Hello dear nieces, how have you been? You should really just maintain your godly appearances, you look so repulsive as old hags." He stated, sounding bored.
The Fates quickly limped up to him, furious expressions on their faces. The right one spoke. "These two were not meant to become Gods, and because it was you who created them, they are neither bound by the Ancient Laws."
Tartarus just shrugged. "I didn't care for those annoying laws anyways. I see no problem with what has occurred. In fact, since you decided to drop by, why don't you give them their domains. That is in your job description, right?" he said with a sarcastic grin.
The fates just huffed at this. "You do not realize the consequences you all shall face for this action. Even we cannot foresee what is meant to happen next." The left one spoke.
"I think I know what I have done." Tartarus said with the grin still plastered on his face. "Anyways, get on with it, we don't have all day." Shooing them over to Percy and Medusa.
The Fates slowly approached the two, who were both a little tense in the presence of the three beings. The Fates then proceeded with the naming ceremony, getting down to their knees and bowing to Medusa first. I light began emitting from the eye sockets of the three sisters, somewhat like the green glow of the oracle.
Together they spoke.
"All hail Medusa, Daughter of Phorkys and Keto, Mother and Patron of Pegasus, Goddess of Curses, Serpents, and Stone."
Everyone is the room was astonished. Even the Fates had looks of dismay after they finished speaking and the glow left their eyes. Goddess of Curses, Serpents, and Stone, those weren't minor domains. Plus, the fact she was given all three meant she had to be on par with a Major God.
The fates in their stupor performed the ritual again, this time with Percy.
"All hail Perseus Jackson, Son of Sally Jackson, Abandoned Son of Poseidon, Bane of Kronos and Gaia, Patron of Heroes, God of Weaponry, Leadership, and Justice."
Like Medusa, Percy was given the power of a Major God.
After the Fates had finished, they spun back around to Tartarus, who stood there looking amused.
"Not only did you give them Godhood when it wasn't meant to be, but you gave them powers that could rival the Olympians!" They all shouted. "Are you trying to start a war?"
Tartarus stood there looking calm as ever. "No comment." was all he said.
The Fates cried out in frustration. "Don't think this is over Tartarus, your stupidity will only bring suffering." They said before flashing away.
After a moment of silence, Tartarus began speaking.
"Well that went well." he stated, walking up to the two new Gods.
Percy gave him an incredulous look. "Did it?" was all that he responded with.
"Considering that you guys are still alive means that it did. Let's just hope those pesky sisters keep their mouths shut so that our plan isn't stalled." He said with a smile. "Anyways, let's get back on track with that." He said, clapping his hands together when suddenly his face contorted in confusion. "Hmm. Where were we again?" his eyebrows furrowed and his hand on his jaw like he was deep in thought.
"Umm. We were supposed to somehow defeat Echidna and Typhon." Medusa supplied.
"Oh yes, that's it." Tartarus mused. For a primordial, he seemed way too carefree, especially one that is supposed to represent all things evil. "Typhon as you already know is trapped down here in Tartarus. While I can and have been weakening him so he can't reach his full strength, he is still much too strong of an enemy for you to face right now." He explained.
"Wait, if Typhon is down here, can't you just snap your fingers and make him fade like you did with the Giants?" Percy wondered.
"If that was the case, I would have already done that. But because he was banished here like you, and not actually killed, he isn't currently reforming. With him having a physical form, I cannot make him fade." He explained.
"So that means you want us to go after Echidna first?" Percy asked.
"Bingo. However, she's always been a shifty one. Blending in and never staying put, it will be difficult to find her." Tartarus said, again deep in thought.
"How do you suppose we get to her then?" Medusa questioned.
"Hmm. I have an idea, it may work…" he began trailing off, talking to himself more than to them.
"Well?" Percy asked, wanting him to continue.
"Well, one trait that Echidna received from her mother was a deep love for her children. It might be possible that if you are able to find and kill them all, you could lure her down here and then kill her to make her fade." He explained his plan.
"Ok, sounds simple enough. How many children does she have?" Percy asked, not really worried.
Medusa meanwhile was deep in thought, counting on her fingers until she reached eleven. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait a minute. You want us to go and find eleven of the worst and deadly monsters in Greek history, and try to kill them, before we take on the mother of all monsters?" she seethed.
Tartarus pouted at that. "I mean if you say it that way… actually no, that's exactly what I'm saying. Glad you catch on quickly." He gave her a dumb grin.
Medusa began trembling in anger. "You imbecile!" she exploded. "How the Hades are you a primordial! You are so simple!" she couldn't contain her frustration.
Percy and Damasen, who had been in the room the whole time, watched with wide eyes. Neither of them had the balls to stand up to a primordial god, and here was Medusa, going off like a disappointed mother on her rebellious child.
Tartarus even seemed to play along, mocking fake sadness with tears threatening to break out from the scolding he was receiving. While this made Percy and Damasen grin widely and break out into laughter, it only made Medusa more furious.
She screamed with anger, her hands clenched madly, when suddenly, the ceiling exploded, and snakes began dropping from sky, making their way to the acting Tartarus, and coiling around him, restricting his movements. The marble floor then began rumbling and stone pillars shot out of the ground encasing the Primordial God of the Pit in a stone cage while the snakes viciously attacked him. The number of snakes was so overwhelming, that not as single section within the cage could be seen, only a continous shifting scene of snake skin.
A painful yell broke out from prison, Tartarus was yelling for help and screaming that he was sorry. His pleads broke Medusa out of her anger as she realized what she had done.
"Oh Gods, oh Gods. What have I done?" she exclaimed.
Damasen quickly ran up to the cage, trying to break the stone pillars with his bare hands but to no avail. "Do something!" he yelled.
"I'm trying, they aren't listening to me!" Medusa said while she continuously tried to stop the serpents' attack.
But in the midst of madness, the yelling from inside the cage abruptly stopped. The three beings outside stood still and silent.
"Father? Are you ok?" Damasen asked worriedly in the cage. The snakes were still swarming around, not relenting sight within its bars.
When no sound was made except for the shifting serpents, everyone feared the worst.
"D-did you just kill Tartarus?" Percy stuttered.
"I-I didn't mean too. I was angry and frustrated and I don't know what happened." She said in disbelief. "There was a tug in my gut and I just released it. I swear I didn't mean to." She looked scared, almost looking like she was going to break down into tears. She collapsed onto the floor, staring at the cage.
Percy quickly ran over to her. "Hey, its ok, it was an accident. I'm sure Tartarus knows this, when he reforms he won't be angry." He said confidently. Yet in the back of his mind he wasn't as sure. If they had just made enemies with the God of the Pit, they were screwed.
But after a minute of silence, a sudden deep laugh erupted from the cage. It was dark and entertained, but quickly started to change until it sounded like a person who had lost their breath from laughing to hard. It was almost a cackle, as the person struggled to contain his laughter.
The cage then exploded, launching marble rubble and snakes all over the throne room. In the center, laid Tartarus, laughing uncontrollably and gripping his sides.
"Ahahaha, my Gods I'm gonna pee, I'm gonna pee." As he continued to laugh. "Now that's what I call actor of the century, where's my Emmy?"
Everyone stared at the cackling Primordial, their mouths opened wide, not believing what they were seeing.
"I have to admit, that was a pretty good show of power for your first time. With a little bit of training you should easily be able to take on those Olympians." He said getting up and wiping a stray tear from his eye.
Everyone just continued staring, not being able to say anything.
"Hellooo? Tartarus to Gods? I'm ok guys, I was just acting. I didn't subconsciously do something, did I?" he said to himself.
Medusa was first to recover. "You're crazy." She whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.
"What was that?" Tartarus asked.
"YOU"RE FUCKING CRAZY! WHAT WERE YOU DOING? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" she started raging again.
She started to sprint towards Tartarus when suddenly Percy grabbed her from behind, holding her back by lifting her into the air.
"LET ME GO PERCY, I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" she yelled.
"I mean, you kinda already tried that." Percy responded, trying to keep her from breaking out of his grasp and attacking Tartarus again.
Tartarus stood there amused, as usual, but spoke sincerely. "I was just playing around at first, but when you released your powers, I wanted to see how strong they were. I apologize for worrying you all." He said bowing with his right arm across his chest.
His face then turned serious. "But I wasn't kidding. You contain immense power, if you can learn to harness it then you will become extremely powerful. I can only assume the same can be said about Percy."
Medusa had slowly calmed down, her anger settling down a bit. She noticed Percy's arms were still wrapped around her waist and she was barely able to stop herself from blushing.
"Percy, let go of my waist." She said sternly.
"What." Was his brilliant response, until he realized that he was still holding onto her. He quickly flung his arms away, almost tripping and falling on his ass.
"Oh, umm, my bad. Please don't kill me?" He said on his knees with his hands clapped in front of him. He only had one eye open, waiting for a punch.
Medusa sighed, she wished he wasn't so scared of her. "Its fine, it would be hard to anyways. Get up."
Percy stood up and the two gods turned towards Tartarus who was still observing them.
"Well, now that that fiasco is out of the way, this is what I have prepared." He started. "You two will spend the next ten years down here, training your godly powers as well as mastering weaponry and fighting styles. Then, I will send you up to the surface to begin your hunt on Echidna and Typhon's children." He said with a smile.
Percy perked up at this. "Ten years? That's great!" He then turned to Medusa. "That sounds a lot better than two thousand years, am I right?" he said nudging her a bit with his shoulder.
Medusa first sent a small glare at him for bumping into her, but she couldn't contain a small smile. "Yea, you're right. But don't get used to it, I bet you won't be again for a while." Giving him a teasing smile.
Percy just scoffed. "We'll see."
Tartarus then interrupted. "Today has been quite eventful. I guess now's a good as time to hit the hay. The bedrooms are located at the top floors, those three points you saw when you entered. I've got the Middle Tower all to myself because I'm the coolest." He said with a childish grin. "Damasen and Iapetus have their own rooms in the East Tower, so that means you guys can have the West one." He finished.
Damasen called to Percy and Medusa. "Breakfast is at 6:00 and then we will begin training in the arena at 7:00. Make sure you're not late." He said as he began heading out of the throne room.
"Enjoy yourselves." Tartarus said with a devilish grin, before teleporting to what they assumed was his room.
Percy and Medusa gave each other confused looks before they too started heading towards their rooms in the West Tower. They began walking up the limitless staircase, taking them fifteen minutes to reach the top.
"Ok, first thing on my checklist will be learning how to teleport here. There is no way, I'm walking up those stairs anytime I need to get to my room." Percy groaned.
Medusa just nodded in agreement, her legs also sore from the complicated day she had. She couldn't wait to take a shower and feel her legs beneath the comforts of a blanket.
But when the two reached the top, they noticed there was only one door.
"Huh, that's weird, maybe this is a hallway that leads to the rooms." Percy suggested.
He walked up to it and opened the door. Inside, was a single room, quite large actually and looking like an apartment studio. It had two extra doors that lead to what only could be assumed as a closet and a bathroom. There was a small kitchen in the corner for times when they didn't eat with the other residents of the palace. But Percy and Medusa froze at what they saw next. On the far side of the room, was a single king bed with a note on top of it. Medusa walked over and opened it up.
Forgot to tell you guys, the West Tower only has one bedroom so you guys will be sharing. Since you guys are dating anyways it should be fine. The room cleans itself daily so don't worry about any potential messes you lovebirds make.
Lots of Love,
Tartarus XOXO
"So, what does it say?" Percy asked a bit skeptically, still looking around the room.
Medusa's head was dipped down, so her shorter hair was cascading over her blushing face, shielding it from Percy. She was gripping the note tightly in her hands, to the point they were turning white.
'Damn that Tartarus.' She seethed in her mind.
In a steely tone, she responded to Percy.
"You're sleeping in the closet."