Chapter 3
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to Jubby1905's review, yes, Percy will definitely be fighting Atlas. The entirety of The Titan's Curse's adaptation will be dedicated to that showdown. Leo, along with many more demigods will also be a main character. Once Percy returns, he'll still be the central protagonist but these guys won't just fade away into the background. They will have their own arcs and development. Thank you for your support!
I would like to thank the guest reviewer for your continued support!
I would like to thank John for your continued support!
I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!
Responding to Shadowhunter2077's review, ah, I have many plans for Kym, because she is the antithesis to the values of the House of Poseidon. I have whitewashed so many gods, gods who were supposedly horrible, like Ares and Zeus, so I decided that it's time to amplify the malevolence of some, just to even things out. And that turned out to be Kym. Yes, a lot of minor gods are on the Olympians' side now but, there are also so many more minor gods who aren't on the side of the Olympians. Those gods will play the role that the minor gods on the side of the Olympians played in canon. And yes, I am not going to hold back on god-Titan showdowns :) Thank you for your continued support!
In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews without fail), it's a good thing for me as well to reply to reviews because it sort of enhances the feedback loop. Oh yeah, there are going to be a lot of Titans. Honestly, the gods were so strong and united as a group that if I hadn't massively beefed up the Titans, it would be a walkover, especially if Percy got involved. I wanted the sides to be evenly matched and introduced female Titans because we need more badass female villains and it lends to an epic showdown. Glad that the difference between these Olympians and their canonical counterparts was visible! That's the main thing I wanted to portray. Definitely, Leo, Thalia and Annabeth will not be overpowered. And by that I mean they won't be taking down Titans on their own. Oh this won't be the last you see of Kym :) Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Walter Ha, you are right. Unfortunately, even I have to find some ways to let the plot progress and sometimes, that means I can't let the gods do everything, so Ancient Laws. But I have tried to do it in a way that minimizes plot holes. Ah the gods can implant things but they won't necessarily be natural movements. For example, you'll see that this skill sharing allows Leo to fight decently but it's in no way a substitute for actual training. It's just to make sure he's not killed. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Ben's review, yes, the flying BMW was definitely inspired by the James Bond movies, so you probably know which car comes next. In fact, a lot more is going to be inspired by James Bond movies :) Thank you for your support!
I would like to thank SonGoku76 for your continued support! I am thrilled that you liked the techno-pop!
I would like to thank the emoticon using guest reviewer for your continued support!
Responding to ItsYaBoi's review, oh I assure you that Leo is not going to be another bland, undeveloped OC, nor is he going to be a copy of canon Percy. He will have his own arc and his own character development. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Hunter's review, I definitely agree with you. Selene is just so underused. Her character sounds like a really nice one in the myths and don't get me wrong, I love Hestia and all that but I just want to see someone else play that wise, motherly aunt role to everyone. And Selene is just perfect for that role. Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank YP for your support!
In response to Abd's review, well I haven't really decided the pairing one hundred perfect yet. But if I do go with Leo and Annabeth, I can assure that I won't shove the pairing down your throat. I'll let it develop properly. Thank you for your support!
In response to Romeslayer's review, answering your question, Percy will be both stronger as well as weaker than he was in the Trojan War :) Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to IceFire99's review, even though most of the AU was in place for this installment, I still wanted to flesh out the new characters a little. Of course, due to the incredibly diverse foundation the previous stories have provided, I can afford to world build and go wild at the same time :) Thank you so much for your continued support! I mean you have been there for an year and week after week, you review without fail. And that's just such a big source of motivation for me!
I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support!
Me gustaría agradecer a Oujiswan por su continuo apoyo!
I would like to thank bring the money for your continued support!
I would like to thank picking-up-story-from-abadoned for your continued support! I will try to update faster but I also have to make sure that my chapters are good.
I would like to thank Darkanaklusmos70 for your continued support!
In response to Ryan Fowler's review, well you did give the idea very long ago, I think you were still a guest reviewer then but it was an amazing idea and I had already decided then how I was going to use it. But yes, it did take a lot of time for it to actually make its way into the trilogy. The family reunion with Kym is going to be a bit tense, to say the least :) Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Callum Runchman's review, you are right, while in canon, Kym had a more legitimate reason for turning on the gods, here it's a douche move. A massive one. But since all the gods are on the lighter end of the morality spectrum, it's natural that the villains have to get darker. But that doesn't mean I'll just make her do villainy things without giving her a point of view. I mean, even if the bad guys are horrible people, giving the audience a touch of their perspective helps give more depth to their characters. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to DaoGodPrimus' review, your idea was pure gold! Really, it would have been stupid on my part not to use such a great idea because of how well it fits logically into this AU. The Divine technology field is only going to get bigger from here! I am an ammunition and supercar geek and I just love it when those two things come together. And the thing is that in the Percy Jackson universe, due to the existence of metaphysical abilities and magic, you have so much creative freedom. And when you also have such ingenious inventors like Athena and Hephaestus, it makes it all the better for diving deep into technology and finding a way to integrate it into the plot. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to HPJ1's review, I have the same regret as well. PJO canon made use of so less advanced machinery when there was a goldmine of potential. I mean, you have to make sure that it doesn't overpower the plot but added in the right way, it just adds that oomph factor. And the timeline is perfect for this as well! Thank you for your support!
In response to Jiraphie's review, this is a fanfiction so I guess it's expected to be wordy. But I understand what you're saying. The technology will definitely not overpower the plot or character development in this story, it's just there to add some depth into the story. Sure, Percy Jackson has swords and all that stuff but if I followed and copied every little detail of canon, what would make this any different? I am not saying that I am taking away all the allure of classical weaponry but I also want to add a dab of modern innovation to that. The first and second books were set in ancient times so I couldn't go all techno-pop. But this timeline lends itself to the usage of advanced technology and I want to bring something new to the table with this story. Nonetheless, I appreciate you taking your time out to share your input!
Coming to lukiiee321's review, honestly, I tried to stick to canon and remove Selene from the third installment but I just couldn't do it. Selene started as a minor character who was just supposed to make a few brief appearances and then make way for an older and wiser Hestia in later installments as Hestia was still relatively younger in the first story. But slowly, I started to feel like Selene had been a novel addition and decided to keep her. And judging from the response, I guess I did the right thing! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Harris Hussain's review, no, Percy will still be the titular character and central protagonist. Only this act puts the spotlight on Leo. But once Percy is back, either on his own or possessed by Kronos, he will take the centre stage. However, Leo will play a main part, along with Jason, Reyna, Thalia, Annabeth, Frank and a lot others. Thank you for your continued support!
Finally, coming to Kronosbluehairbrush's review, your intuition proved to be right! Yes, I did need a truckload of Titans and I realised that PJO doesn't have a lot of femme fatales. Sure it does not need them I guess but strong female villains do give more depth to a story. And since all female Titans other than Rhea, Leto and sometimes Tethys are rarely used in any stories, I thought this would be a novel addition.
Yes, I am glad that you find this story unpredictable and new! I want to cover all genres with this trilogy and one that fully immerses the reader into the experience! To be honest, Helios and Selene fading away even after getting Roman forms never made any sense to me. And keeping them wouldn't hurt so I decided to not axe them, especially not Selene since she is a fan-favourite! Thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Leo was feeling conflicted. They had been flying for the past few hours and with Annabeth absorbed in reading a book that explained what the Divine Secret Service was and another one which gave details about the characteristics of their war chariot, Thalia fast asleep and their flying car in autopilot mode, he had been given some time to absorb the massive developments that had taken place over the past few hours.
Two months ago, if someone had told him that he would be going on a mission to retrieve some ancient shard to revive the greatest hero in history, he would have called the mental health institute and turned that person in. But here he was, going to an ancient temple in search of a mythical shard of the essence of the sea. And he was going there in a flying BMW, filled with all sorts of mind-boggling technology.
The surrealistic feeling of the situation did not go unnoticed by him. He was a field agent of the now reinstated DSS, the first intelligence agency in the entire world. And the high tech weapons at his disposal only added to the surreal feeling.
With just a twist of his ring, a loaded and perfectly balanced handgun capable of killing practically everything that moved would appear in his hands. His train of thought was broken when Annabeth called his name after she finished reading the manual.
"Leo, this book has answered all my questions! Do you know that we are the first Divine Secret Service field agents in many centuries?" Annabeth excitedly stated.
"Lady Athena did mention that this gear used to be standard issue. That raises a question - Why did they even shut the DSS down if it was such a powerful institution? Seems like they shot themselves in the foot there. A trained group of soldiers definitely would do this job better than a bunch of teenagers. " Leo grumbled.
"The Divine Secret Service was founded by mother, General Perseus and Lord Ares during the Gigantomachy to keep an eye on the Gigantes and their forces. It was supposed to only be a wartime organization but the three of them somehow convinced the Elder Olympians to keep it due to how useful it was. And it proved to be very useful for millennia." Annabeth revealed.
"That was a brilliant idea." Leo acknowledged.
"Yes, for more than two thousand years, the gods identified the demigods with most potential and loyalty towards Olympus and gave them the opportunity to join the Divine Secret Service. And those who were selected were trained until they were twenty one and would serve for a period of fifty years. They were given partial immortality if they were alive when they retired along with being given a hefty pension and, they would be compensated very handsomely during their tenure. And if they died, they would be granted instant access to Elysium. Of course, they hired only fourteen demigods at a time so it was a group of the best of the best." Annabeth stated.
"Why only fourteen?" Leo questioned.
"Because fourteen is the number of Olympians. Anyway, this program was shutdown about six hundred years ago." Annabeth stated with a disappointed sigh.
"Why? Why shut the organization down if it was doing so well and always let the gods stay a step ahead of their enemies?" Leo questioned.
"For starters, six hundred years ago, a sizeable number of ex and current field agents deserted and turned into rulers in mortal nations. The equipment that we are using on this mission is technology that was developed by mother, General Perseus and Lord Hephaestus thousands of years ago. But these defectors got megalomaniacal and introduced lower quality versions of these weapons to mortals, leading to the development of modern firearms, which took war and violence to hitherto unknown levels." Annabeth explained.
"Seems like a bit of an overreaction to shutdown the entire organization just because of a few greedy agents." Leo stated.
"That wasn't the only reason. The matter blew over because only the Olympian Council knew about this and many of the Olympians themselves did not approve of it. Some of the Olympians felt like it was morally wrong to be taking in eighteen year olds and training them to be killing machines. And the other members of the Divine Council were furious that such a dangerous and powerful organization even existed. Tensions ran very high for some time and after much debate, a simple majority of the Divine Council voted to dissolve the Divine Secret Service. Ironically, they used the remaining agents to hunt down the defectors."' Annabeth ended her explanation.
"Why did those agents defect?" Leo curiously questioned.
"Most of them became disillusioned with their jobs. By her own admission, mother says that she was never able to connect with the field agents on a personal level like General Perseus. When he was the head of the DSS, he gave them dangerous missions but went on the most dangerous ones himself. That garnered him massive respect and that being a visible sign of his genuine interest in their well being, invoked very fierce loyalty." Annabeth stated with respect evident in her voice.
"A century after his sacrifice, when mother unofficially assumed his duties as the General of the Divine Forces, she says in the book that she never was able to inspire the same loyalty in the agents. And that predominantly boiled down to the fact that she did not have the same amount of freedom as General Perseus. Before his coma, the two of them divided responsibilities by taking up roles that played to their strengths. Mother always focused on finding and planning the missions while the general focused on executing them." Annabeth explained.
"Basically, he was the heart of the organization while she was its brain. Without one of them, it was doomed to fail." Leo concluded.
"Exactly. The service had been in decline for a long time as demigods no longer volunteered in the same numbers as they used to. Eventually it led to a situation where it meant that they had to settle for just about any demigod, without having the luxury of screening their intentions. They didn't believe the demigods would desert their own parents. But this was a big misconception and that was the final nail in the coffin." Annabeth stated.
"Do you think that when the General wakes up, it will be officially restarted?" Leo asked.
"It is a very real possibility. I would love to be a part of it for sure." Annabeth expressed her opinion.
"I suppose it does give us a higher purpose in life." Leo concurred but not with the same amount of conviction as Annabeth.
"You still miss your old life, don't you?" Annabeth asked with a sympathetic smile.
"Yes. I try not to but sometimes, I feel like my old life was far simpler and more peaceful. All I had to worry about was keeping my scores as high as possible and not worrying my mother. A tough choice for me then would be to choose a good movie to watch on movie night with my mom. Now, I have to worry about saving the entire world and may eventually have to make the choice between sparing and taking a life. Seems like a galactic jump." Leo confessed.
"I know what it feels like. I used to enjoy being carefree and ignorant. My birth mother was a daughter of Thetis but she unfortunately died in a car accident when I was four. My father remarried two years later and my stepmother hated me. So just at the age of seven, I ran away. But Athena, she found me and gave me a new life, not necessarily a safer one but most certainly, a happier life. She has always motivated me to be better and has showered a lot of affection and love on me, guiding me through every step of my journey. So even though I miss being oblivious, the dangerous but more satisfactory life of being a hero anyway trumps the bland life of being a mortal." Annabeth revealed.
Leo stayed silent for some time. This was the first time Annabeth had opened up to him and he was happy that she trusted him enough to share such intimate information with him. And a now awake Thalia joined the conversation.
"Yeah being a mortal sucked, at least for me." Thalia stated with a snort before continuing.
"My mother, Beryl Grace was a very famous and beautiful actress, which led to her catching my father's eye. He courted her and a year later, I was born. My mother's ego swelled, knowing that she had attracted the king of gods himself and somehow, she managed to keep his attention by imagining him in his Roman form. And just a year after I was born, my brother, Jason Grace was born, but he was a son of Jupiter." Thalia recounted.
"My stepmother, the queen of Olympus, was not pleased. It had been quite some time since my father had strayed and she could tolerate my birth but the birth of my brother made her furious. And it didn't help that I was a Greek and he was a Roman. I was very protective of him when we were younger and we lived in that hellhole called our home for seven years after his birth. Father tried to take us to to Camp Half-Blood on multiple occasions but mother did not allow him to do so. Eventually, the monster attacks and our mother's gradual descent into psychopathy became too much to bear and we ran away. Father guided both of us to Camp Half-Blood but there, it was decided that Jason and I could not grow up together." Thalia narrated with a sigh of sorrow.
"Why? I know that we don't contact the Romans that much and granted that we don't always see eye to eye, but it's not like there is any deep hostility between us." Leo confusedly asked.
"True, for the most part, Greek and Roman demigods have gotten along well and have even collaborated when required. However, the very nature of Roman and Greek demigods is different and as such, they need to be brought up in those specially tailored environments to not only reach their full potential but also for them to be happy. For example, Roman demigods' dyslexia allows them to read Latin more fluently than Ancient Greek and they are naturally better suited at the Roman style of wielding weapons. They also have a more rigid society which emphasizes on a sense of community as compared to our sense of individualism. A Roman demigod in the Greek camp or vice versa cannot reach their full potential and they may increasingly start to feel alienated." Annabeth explained.
"Is that enough to warrant separating two siblings?" Leo questioned with a twinge of anger in his voice.
"Leo, forcing someone to stay with you, at the cost of their happiness and overall well being, just because you want them with you, is not the right thing to do. I went to the Roman camp once for a few months, thanks to a few strings pulled by my father and I struggled so much over there Leo. I realised that I was biologically not very compatible with the way things worked there. If I had forced Jason to stay with me, he would have to feel like that every day. While I miss staying with him and though I never wanted to be separated from him , I am glad that he is in a place that makes him comfortable. Besides, we visit each other once a month without fail and our lives are far, far better than they used to be." Thalia acknowledged.
Leo went silent after listening to Thalia. She was right. This was the life that could make them more comfortable. A life that would theoretically keep them happier than a mortal one. But before he made peace with this new life, he wanted to talk to his mother.
"Annabeth, do you mind taking the wheel? I want to talk to my mother." Leo requested and Annabeth acquiesced.
With a press of a button on the touchscreen of the dashboard, the two seats flipped positions, with the interior of the car automatically changing its shape temporarily to accommodate the revolving seats. Once he was comfortable, Leo took out the smartphone Athena had given him and called his mother.
"Hey mom." Leo greeted her once she picked up the call.
"Leo? Is that you? How are you calling me? I thought phones weren't allowed in Camp Half-Blood." His mother questioned from the other end.
"Yes mom, they aren't allowed in Camp Half-Blood. But this is different, I am on a mission and this is a special phone given to me by Lady Athena." Leo stated before explaining the recent developments that had taken place.
"Leo, this is what I always feared. It was very selfish of me to force you to live a mortal's life when you clearly were not one. But I was afraid that you would be sent on some dangerous mission which would jeopardize your life. That proved to be true. And now, I don't know if I will ever see you again." Sally sadly stated.
"Don't worry mom. You will definitely see me again." Leo stated with conviction.
"Leo, please don't make a promise you cannot keep. Few heroes in history have had good endings. Even now, it's not too late to turn away from that life Leo." Sally softly stated.
"I refuse to turn my back on my family, mom." Leo firmly stated.
"Very well then. If I can't convince you to stay out of danger, let me at least pray to the Fates to keep you safe." Sally stated with a sigh of resignation before cutting the call.
Leo went silent. He knew that his mother would not be too pleased with his decision and a part of him still questioned whether he was doing the right thing.
Leo shook his head as he pushed those thoughts away. This was not the time to think like that. He checked his compass to ensure they were going the right way. This was his life now. And there was no point in contemplating hypothetical situations. All he had to focus on doing was to succeed in his mission and revive his elder brother.
It took them a few more hours before they finally reached Death Valley. They had slept in that time and when they woke up, the sun had already risen. After a short discussion, they decided that they would travel on land from here onwards.
Annabeth gently tilted the steering wheel downwards as they descended from thousands of feet to the ground in a matter of minutes. The landing was a bit rough, but soon, they were racing across land as well.
"Take a left here." Leo stated when the compass changed direction and Annabeth turned sharply and they zoomed across the dusty, barren land.
"Where do we go from here? As far as I can see, there is a desert everywhere." Thalia stated.
"Well the compass shows that we are heading in the right direction." Leo answered.
"Maybe this mythical temple is covered in a thick layer of Mist? I just think that we have to keep moving." Annabeth added. A temporary silence enveloped them for a few minutes before sand dunes showed up at the edge of the horizon.
"Is this car capable of going on sand?" Leo asked.
"Yes Leo. This car is capable of doing anything and everything. Air, rock, sand, ice, water, it can practically traverse the entire world. This is one of the most advanced pieces of technology that you will ever come across. In fact, its technology is so advanced that it will take even me-" Annabeth excitedly started but she was interrupted by Thalia.
"We get it Annie. This is a technological marvel. You can fawn over it later. For now, let's focus on getting the shard and try not to die in that process." Thalia dryly interrupted.
"Don't call me Annie." Annabeth stated with a huff of annoyance.
"Turn right!" Leo stated with a sense of urgency and Annabeth took another sharp turn, causing Leo to bang his head against the window.
"Be a bit more gentle next time." Leo stated with a wince.
"Then don't tell me to shift directions so abruptly." Annabeth retorted.
"It's not my fault that this compass shifts directions in a second. Besides, isn't this car supposed to be a technological marvel? I assumed that it would at least have a smoother suspension." Leo shot back.
"Don't blame the car for your poor navigation skills." Annabeth defended.
"Hey! You should know that children of Poseidon are the best navigators you will ever come across." Leo indignantly stated.
"That's only in the sea!" Annabeth exclaimed in an exasperated voice. Thalia cut them off before they could argue and further.
"I hate to interrupt this lovely conversation but in case you did not notice, we are on collision course with that giant hill over there." Thalia frantically stated as she pointed at the huge, red rock a few hundred metres in front of them.
"It's called a monolith." Annabeth involuntarily corrected.
"Seriously?! We are about be flattened here and all you can think about is that?" Thalia incredulously questioned.
"The needle is pointing straight ahead." Leo interrupted.
"I think we need to go over it." Thalia shouted.
Annabeth immediately pulled the steering wheel upwards and the car took off into the air, narrowly avoiding the monolith. Eventually, they passed the monolith but that was when Leo noticed an anomaly.
"This thing is pointing directly backwards now." Leo stated with confusion evident in his voice.
"How? That should not be possible. Unless, we need to run into the monolith." Annabeth deduced and took a sharp U-turn mid-air and the car flew towards the monolith at maximum speed.
"We should have thought this through a bit more." Leo shouted and closed his eyes just as the car was about to ram into rock.
However, Annabeth's deduction turned out to be true and instead of a crash, the car passed through the monolith. And the illusion faded to reveal a magnificent stone temple. A few seconds later, their car landed and ground to a halt a few dozen feet in front of the temple. The trio of demigods cautiously stepped out of the car and observed the marvelous structure.
The first thing that struck them was its size. It was easily a hundred feet tall and it was painted with a vivid mixture of shades of cyan, turquoise, teal blue and aquamarine. Along with that, the outside of the temple was intricately carved, paying homage to multiple sea deities and sea creatures.
"This is magnificent." Annabeth stated with awe, using her phone to talk a few pictures of the temple. It was a completely different style of architecture. And one she would be very interested in propagating in the future.
"They certainly didn't want it to be inconspicuous." Leo quipped. Annabeth pressed her phone once again and behind them, their car just vanished.
"How did it do that?" Leo questioned.
"The chariot comes in with a built in stealth mechanism. It's not only physically invisible, it also cannot be detected on a metaphysical level. And we can control it with our smartphones." Annabeth cheerily revealed.
"You have to give credit to the gods. The moment they found out that we had to do this, they actually gave us competent machinery rather than just leaving us high and dry." Thalia acknowledged and the other two hummed in agreement. Their situation could have been a lot, lot worse.
The three of them pressed the emblems on their clothes and were instantly enveloped by their lightweight, camouflaged armours and a moment later, they twisted their rings and their handguns materialised in their hands. The three of them exchanged a look before stealthily making their way towards the temple.
Thalia was feeling a little creeped out. Normally, she had no fear in rushing headfirst into things. She had even bullheadedly charged into a group of a dozen monsters once. But this was different.
As the three of them cautiously threaded through the deserted hallways, she could not help but feel that they were being watched. She turned around to scan her surroundings and see if there was someone spying on them but she found nobody and they continued walking. Finally, after a quarter of an hour had passed, Thalia decided to speak up.
"Leo, are we there yet?" Thalia asked.
"I don't know. The compass just stopped working a few minutes ago." Leo confessed.
"So you have been leading us in circles all along?" Thalia angrily questioned.
"No. I was following my gut." Leo unconvincingly stated.
"I am going to skewer you." Thalia growled.
"Stop bickering you two. Maybe Leo's gut will lead us to the right place. Remember, he is the son of Poseidon here. So he probably can sense this shard." Annabeth defended before turning towards Leo.
"Leo, try expanding your observation. You are a son of the Sea. I assume that you must have some natural connection to the shard." Annabeth calmly stated.
Leo listened to her and closed his eyes and tried sensing something that felt like the sea. He remembered the calmness that spread through him whenever he stepped into the water at Montauk and tried finding something that would be similar to that feeling. And soon enough, he found out what he was looking for.
"That way. I can sense something that feels like the sea." Leo pointed at his right and the two of them followed him in silence.
They walked for another half hour, following Leo's directions. The entire temple was nothing but a maze of hallways and finally, they exited a hallway to stand in front of twenty feet large Celestial Bronze doors.
"It's behind those doors. I can feel the shard calling out to me." Leo revealed.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Thalia impatiently questioned and was about to push open the doors but Leo stopped her.
"Wait! What if this is a trap? Normally in movies, the prized diamond is always protected by some booby traps." Leo anxiously stated.
"The movie reference aside, Leo is right. It's better if we have take all precautions." Annabeth stated and wore her baseball cap, instantly becoming invisible.
Leo and Thalia pressed a button on their watches and their respective shields sprang up. Leo and Annabeth flinched a little at the sight of Medusa's hideous face but looked a war a moment later. Unfortunately, that gruesome image would stay in their heads for quite some time.
Leo then pushed the doors and the three of them made their way inside. And they immediately noticed the beautiful murals and unbelievably realistic sculptures in the humongous room.
The murals depicted the lives of Pontus and Thalassa. Detailing their births, giving rise to the first bodies of water which they were personifications of. The murals also showed their reign and finally them leaving behind a part of their essences in the form of shards. And that drew their attention to the aforementioned shard that was suspended in air in the centre of the room.
It was rhombic shard that seemed to be made out of blue glass. It was just the size of their hands but in the centre of the shard, there seemed to be white ball of energy that caused the shard to emit an ethereal blue light. That was when they heard a voice from above them.
"Captivating isn't it." A gruff, deep and definitely inhuman voice stated. The three of them immediately looked up but found themselves staring at the empty ceiling. Just a moment later, a blue serpent materialised in front of them.
The serpent had a body similar to a drakon, and judging by how many times he coiled around the shard, they could wager that he was at least a hundred feet long.
He had blue scales and his horns were shaped in a very ornate way and. He also had four short but thick and scaled limbs. The face of the serpent also sported many flowing white whiskers and his aquamarine eyes twinkled with equal parts of wisdom and a fierce protectiveness. There was no doubt that this was the Guardian. Annabeth removed her cap and the three of them immediately bowed to him.
"Looks like you know who I am. Tell me demigods, did that useless half-brother of mine – Nereus, send you here to collect the last shard?" The Guardian questioned in a deep voice. Leo nodded his head.
"My lord, we are here because the world is in great danger and the shard is the only way to-" Annabeth started but the Guardian cut them off.
"Spare me the lies demigods. I was deceived once, I shall not be deceived again. I think my brother fails to understand that this shard is no mere toy. It houses a part of the essence of my parents, the protogenoi of the sea themselves. It can grant unfathomable power to those who gain control of it. And I will not allow some greedy demigod son of Poseidon to use this shard for his own needs. How cunning of Nereus. He knew that I would not let sea deities enter so he sent demigods. Walk away peacefully and I will let you live." The Guardian firmly commanded.
"I am afraid we cannot do that." Leo stated with some steel in his voice as he stood up.
"You dare defy me demigod? Do you know who I am? I am no mere beast. I am the Guardian of the last shard of the essence of the Sea. The immortal son of Pontus and Thalassa. Your own father would be unable to wrest this shard from me through the use of sheer force. I am more than a match for him. Do you believe you can forcefully take this shard just because you have some fancy weaponry?" The Guardian challenged as his nostrils flashed with anger and his blue scales glowed with energy.
"My lord, we are not here to fight. But we really need the shard. A war is upon us and we need to revive my comatose brother Perseus Diaboles before he falls into the grasps of the Titan King. And we will not leave until we get the shard." Leo determinedly stated.
"Tell me demigod, what is it that prompts such stubbornness? Arrogance? A lack of any self-preservation? Or is your greed for power so overwhelming that it overshadows every sense of logic?" The Guardian questioned.
"It is none of that. I'm just another demigod. And I am certainly not experienced enough in combat to challenge even more experienced demigods, let alone an immortal as powerful as you. But I cannot fail my family. My father is depending on me." Leo replied with conviction.
"My lord, you have surely heard of the great Perseus Diaboles. The man who turned the world into a utopia and the greatest hero to ever walk the Earth who sacrificed himself to defeat Tartarus, the Protogenos of the Abyss of Evil. That great hero is now in danger and this is our only way to save him." Annabeth supported.
"What occurs in the lives of lesser beings is not of concern to me. This shard might be the key to saving the seas one day if the sea deities ever start fading en masse due to the actions of Primeval gods older than even my parents. It is a safeguard to protect the world in case the Protogenoi of night, darkness and misery ever take over the world. Titans and gods are just specks compared to those deities." The Guardian dismissed.
"Then why did you give one of the shards to that son of Oceanus and Tethys?" Leo angrily questioned.
"That was a lapse in my judgement that occurred because I trusted my half brother to only give the location of the shards to someone when the seas were in danger and thus, I gave that Potamos the shard. I found out too late that the river god was nothing more than a greedy urchin and that my foolish half-brother had been tricked. And ever since then, I have not entertained any sea deities. I will make the judgement to give the shard when I sense that the seas truly are in danger. Not over some petty family squabble." The Guardian declared with an air of finality.
"If the Titan King gains control of Perseus Diaboles' body, he will use it to wreck havoc across the entire world, that includes the seas. It will lead to a long, devastating war. The seas may fall back into the hands of Oceanus. The world will go back into the age of terror if the Titans succeed. How can you be fine with that?" Thalia questioned with a growl.
"Little girl, I have seen countless rulers of the world rise and fall over my long life. I have seen the seas under the control of my parents and the world under the control of Gaia and Ouranos. I have seen the entire reign of the Titans as well the reign of the gods. So it matters little to me whether Poseidon rules the seas or whether Oceanus does. My allegiance is to the Sea, not to any gods or Titans." The Guardian answered in an ambivalent voice.
"Lord Moros, the Protogenos of Impending Doom, sent us here. He told us that we had to revive Perseus Diaboles using the shard if we wanted to avoid impending doom. If Lord Moros deemed it urgent enough to notify us himself, then surely, the fate of the world depends on it, that includes even the seas." Leo revealed and the draconic face of the Guardian registered some surprise.
"Boy, if you are lying, I will tear you half." The Guardian threatened with a roar that sent shivers down the trio's spines.
"You can check our memories if you want." Annabeth offered and a moment later, the Guardian did just that.
He scanned their entire memories to learn everything about what had been discussed in the Olympian Council meeting. And in their dream involving Moros. After he was satisfied, he left their minds.
"How do I know that these memories haven't been implanted?" The Guardian skeptically questioned.
Even though he had sensed the minutest of residual energy signatures in them that confirmed that Moros had indeed guided them here. He wanted to test the demigods. He wanted to know whether the demigods themselves had any selfish, ulterior motives.
"I don't know my lord. You are right. We have no way to prove that this isn't some meticulously crafted plan made by a conniving set of gods and demigods. But you will have to trust that we are here because Lord Moros wants us to be here." Leo answered with sincerity.
"Even if Moros sent you here, why should I trust you demigod? The last person who I trusted enough to give this shard to, used it to further his own interests. How do I know that you are not going to do the same thing?" The Guardian questioned in a calmer voice.
"You can trust me because I am not special. I am not some ambitious, powerful demigod, I am a clueless one who can't hold a candle to my elder brother. Hell, I am so bad in comparison to him that he would have probably convinced you by now. But that is exactly why we need this shard. The world needs Perseus Diaboles. And it needs him now more than ever." Leo paused to catch his breath before continuing.
"The seas are now a happy and prosperous place for those live there because the House of Poseidon has done a much better job than the House of Oceanus ever could. The gods may have their flaws, sure, history is full of instances that show that. But they are also incredibly benevolent and protective of their family. You saw how Lady Athena and our parents equipped us. You saw how they were worried about putting us in danger. You have seen the age of the Titans. Can you tell me they had the same benevolence and loyalty towards family? No. And it was always Perseus Diaboles who pushed the gods to be better. He truly made the world a better place. And for that reason, at any cost, I have to revive him." Leo determinedly concluded.
What he didn't notice was that he was covered by an ethereal blue light by the time he finished his passionate speech. And the Guardian took note of this.
"You have impressed me Leonidas Jackson. And it seems your sincerity and a general intent to do good resonates with the shard. The more you spoke, the more evident it became that you were sent here by Lord Moros and that your intentions were noble and selfless. If you had lied, the shard wouldn't have responded to your positive emotions." The Guardian stated with a hint of respect.
"So will you give us the shard?" Leo excitedly asked, showing a remarkable shift in disposition. The Guardian chuckled at his enthusiasm, albeit, it sounded more like a growl.
"Yes, Leonidas. I shall allow you to take the shard. I believe Nereus has already informed you of its application, so I shall not waste any time. Take the shard, young one." The Guardian gently guided and uncoiled his serpentine body from the shard.
Annabeth and Thalia offered supportive smiles as Leo slowly walked towards the shard and gingerly picked it up. And instantly, he felt a small jolt of energy course through him. A Celestial Bronze jar materialised in his other hand, courtesy of the Guardian.
"Keep the shard in jar, Leonidas. Or else it can stolen from you and be misused relatively easily. The jar is sealed magically in a way such that only you will be able to open it and it will prevent any sea deities from gaining cognizance of its location. Consider it to be a gift from my side." The Guardian informed.
"Thank you for everything, my lord. We will fulfill our promise." Leo stated with a bow and Annabeth and Thalia followed suit.
"Demigods, you are much stronger than you think you are. Strength is not only physical. It is also mental and emotional. And the three of you have plenty of that. Leonidas, I would especially advise you to not compare yourself to your elder brother for you are your own man. And it looks you have the unwavering loyalty that is representative of the sea. May time guide you to your destiny.," The Guardian imparted some wisdom before dissipating into a teal blue mist. Now that they had retrieved the shard, all that was left was to get it to Athena and the other Olympians.
Annabeth exasperatedly looked on as Leo and Thalia bickered as they made their way out of the temple, fully equipped with their weapons in Leo and Thalia's case and invisible in Annabeth's case. It was just a precaution until they got to their car. And it was a precaution that proved to be fruitful as that was when they heard a foreign, malicious voice –
"Well, well, well, look at what we have here. Two puny demigods and one shard of the essence of the Sea. Lady Theia and father will be very pleased. Looks like today is my lucky day."
Hey guys! The cliffhanger returns :) Of course, I could not go without including a cliffhanger for very long because I felt hollow without it.
In this chapter, I wanted to give Annabeth, Thalia and especially Leo some good character development as well as time to shine. These three will be central to this story's plotline and I don't want them to be bland or undeveloped. And I tried my hand out at conversational humour by including some banter.
I especially want to highlight the differences between Leo and canonical Percy as Leo is not as dense and is also not quite as optimistic. He's much more of reluctant hero. This is my first time using an OC and I just want to make him seem like a real and proper character in this alternate universe.
I realise that it may seem like I shot myself in the foot by revealing that there's a shard of sea that could revive Percy and many of you rightfully pointed out that the Olympians must have surely found out about it by now and that sounds like a plot hole. But I have an explanation.
In this chapter, the Guardian does say that he wouldn't have even allowed any sea gods to enter the temple and Nereus would occupy obviously know about his half-brothers temper so rather than getting the hopes of his family up and potentially causing a conflict, Nereus doesn't inform them at all.
It may seem very cruel of a grandfather to do that but it makes sense logically. Besides, it was supposed to be a last resort of sorts if ever Nyx and Erebus got megalomaniacal. And until Moros, Chronos and Ananke gave the order themselves, it wouldn't seem likely that the Guardian would give the shard peacefully. I hope that this clears the air.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!
