Chapter 5
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to Zoe Hunter of Artemis' review, yes and I did include that bit in the previous chapter where the bunker started teleporting to random places as soon as Artemis stepped foot into it. Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank the guest reviewer for your continued support! Sorry for the later than usual update but I had a few hiccups.
In response to Ben's review, now, I can't give too much away but let's just say that you will be getting a little espionage arc. Looks like you already know what supercar I am going to be introducing next :) Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Disco's review, I knew that introducing new villains was a bit of a risk but the reaction has been largely positive so I will do my best to keep it interesting. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to picking-up-story-from-abadoned's review, I am sorry for delaying this chapter. I have just been going through a few hiccups in my life and the updates will probably get slower for the next chapter or two. Sorry once again and thank you for your continued support!
In response to Walter Ha's reviews, those are all great names and I will definitely be using them! Thanks for that! My update schedule has been a bit screwed up by recent developments and the next chapter will easily take a week and a half to come out because I haven't even started on it yet. After that, things will get much faster and you're probably looking at a chapter every 6 or 7 days. I know that my second story got a bit complicated due to all the parallel plot lines but this time, I will introduce the complexities that give more depth to the story and make the plot more gripping in a simplified and linear fashion that will minimize plot holes. Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!
I would like to thank the emoticon using guest reviewer for your continued support!
I would like to thank John for your continued support!
In response to bring the money's review, well, in your defense, I do tend to pull out characters out of nowhere and should probably change my pen name to Cliffhanger. I hope the suspense makes the chapters better for all of you! In any case, you'll find out who the mystery person is, in this chapter! Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank ItsYaBoi for your continued support!
Responding to the guest reviewer, you are not wrong. The last part of the previous chapter was influenced by a few Bond movies and some Navy Seal operation I read about recently. Thank you for your support!
In response to Shadowhunter2077's review, I am glad that the parts where everyone asks Leo to stop comparing himself to Percy shines through. I just want to emphasize the problem Leo faces due to being the first son of Poseidon in three millennia and the stress he faces when he fails at pulling off the same feats as Percy.
I will definitely not be permanently nerfing any Titans in this story. At best, demigods will be able to hold off an exhausted Titan for a few minutes. And the Titans will definitely not be a pushover for other gods. They'll be very tough threats and it'll take a lot for even the gods to beat them. Yes, the power scaling in Titan's Curse was a bit puzzling. And at times, it didn't make a lot of sense. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to the Guest reviewer (the one who reviews without fail), I am planning to give a fair bit of screen time for quite a lot of demigods like Leo, Annabeth, Thalia, Jason and Reyna and as such, for parity, I thought that introducing demititans would present a fair challenge for the demigods since the gods and Titans will be in the league of their own.
Yes, I wanted to use that opportunity of Hera worrying about the mental health of the demigods to show that while the Olympians aren't perfect even in this alternate universe, they are way, way better than their canonical counterparts. Quite a bit of demititans will be appearing actually so it will spice up the tussle and Triumvirate Holdings and the Emperors will definitely play a very important role :) I am no fan of the Trials of Apollo series but the idea of a secret organization headed by the three worst Roman Emperors has a lot of potential in this AU. Will there be a child of Kronos? Maybe, maybe not :) Thank you for your continued support! P.S Very happy to be able to respond to your reviews.
I would like to thank Hunter for your continued support! I know that this chapter took a day longer but I hope the chapter makes up for the delay!
In response to IceFire99's review, I am glad that you liked the inclusion of demititans. Just a small addition to achieve parity since the demigods won't be fighting Titans. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to MandoWalker's review, I agree, a fifth of all my chapters is filled with me talking but that's what gives me motivation to put out a chapter every week. And I don't want to sound like an entitled douchebag but I think I have earned the right to use a fifth of my 7K+ chapters to respond to reviews.
In response to wreathr's reviews, that's what I had in mind initially but then I realised that I didn't want the OCs to sound too cliché. I don't want them to feel like special characters. They're just normal additions so I thought a normal name that wasn't over the top would be the best way forward. But nonetheless, thank you for your input!
I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support!
In response to Ryan Fowler's review, I think that Magnus is a great name. A simple one but a good one. And I think I know just the right parent for him if he is to be able to shoot fire :) I am glad that I was able to answer your questions! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Jubby1905's review, will Percy fight Kronos mentally? He definitely will, that is, assuming that he is controlled by Kronos and used as a vessel in the first place. If he's not possessed and is instead revived, I don't see Percy admonishing Poseidon for siring Leo. I mean, it would sort of be hypocritical on his part because that's how even he was born. I am really happy that you are enjoying these chapters! That is the biggest motivation for me to continue writing! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Callum Runchman's review, that is a bold prediction :) We'll just have to see whether he does gain such powers over time. I think at this point, I can't go for more than three or four chapters without including a cliffhanger. But it just adds to the drama and that came be a bad thing :) Thank you for your continued support!
In response to lukiiee321's review, I am thrilled that you liked the inclusion of female Titans. I really didn't want the gods to walk over the Titans and the only way to achieve that was by including a lot of new villains. Thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
The moment her grandfather got involved, Artemis knew that their mission had gotten exponentially harder. Their plan of catching Theia and her group of monsters by surprise had worked very well as she had been able to keep Theia busy while the demigods took care of the monsters and had almost succeeded in reviving Percy but then Koios had arrived and had slammed a wall of force into them, blowing them backwards.
"I was expecting Athena to be the one to charge in here but now that you are here, it makes this reunion all the better. Don't you agree, granddaughter." Koios stated with a cruel smile as he directed his attention at Artemis.
Koios was roughly six feet tall, with elaborate black Celestial Bronze armour and a single diamond blazing in the breastplate. His eyes were blue-white and as cold as a glacier. His hair and beard were also blue-white and his hair was cut in military style. He wore a helmet shaped like a bear's head.
He wielded a massive two handed broadsword and was impressively built. But his form was a far cry from it had originally been. His intimidating muscles had noticeably shrunken, he was visibly shorter than before, his energy signature was not as large as it used to be and his face was filled with wrinkles and scars, giving him the appearance of a man in his late forties.
"Looks like Tartarus has treated you well, grandfather." Artemis taunted in the same condescending tone and Koios' darkened at the mention of Tartarus.
"I will ensure my brother destroys Olympus brick by brick for what the Olympians did to me. I was the Titan Lord of the North, the great, clairvoyant Koios whose foresight and intellect were unmatched. But the Olympians not only humiliated me, they threw me into a pit of pain and suffering. Every single thing in Tartarus was designed to inflict maximum suffering. And I shall ensure that you Olympians endure the same suffering. Perhaps, even your own mother will be willing to join me on this endeavour after that no good father of yours abandoned her." Koios bitterly stated.
"That's not going to happen. You are going back to where you belong – Tartarus. And Aunt Theia over here will be joining you, along with Phoebe, Mnemosyne and Themis. At least this time, you'll have more company." Artemis jabbed, in the corner of her eye, Artemis saw that the demigods had gotten up.
"Leonidas, revive Percy now! I will distract both of them until then." Artemis mentally ordered.
Leo tried to do that and edged towards the sarcophagus. But Koios immediately noticed that and charged at him. Artemis jumped to intercept Koios but she found herself blocked by Theia.
"You make bold claims goddess but you know that you are surrounded. You see, Koios here was the first Titan Lord that we broke out of Tartarus. And he has been the brains of this operation ever since then. He knew that one of you would eventually make it here. So, when our suppliers built this bunker for us, he had it enchanted in a way such that he could enter it even when it was constantly teleporting. After all, he's not the called the Titan of Foresight for nothing." Theia boasted.
"How did someone as kind and humble as Aunt Selene come from someone as obnoxious as you?" Artemis insulted.
"That traitorous daughter of mine will pay for abandoning us." Theia stated with an enraged expression.
Rather than responding, Artemis tried to clear Theia as fast as possible so that she could stop Koios but the Titaness of Illumination was no pushover. She was easily as powerful as Artemis, perhaps even a tad bit stronger. But Artemis clearly had the edge in combat experience and skill.
Artemis narrowly evaded a stab aimed at her head and slashed at Theia's knee, but the Titaness swiftly blocked one of Artemis' hunting knives with her shield before deflecting a strike from the other, and the two of them engaged in a brief struggle of strength which Theia started to gain the upper hand on.
Then, in an incredible bout of speed and agility, Artemis used this position to flip and kicked Theia in the face, breaking her nose. Theia hissed in pain but retaliated instantly by launching a bright yellow beam of light at Artemis, sending her flying into the wall. Artemis quickly recovered to parry a stab and the two of them continued their deadly dance of blades.
On the other side of the bunker, things were not going so well for the demigods. Especially not for Leo. A few minutes ago, he had barely avoided being decapitated by the Titan Lord of the North who was undoubtedly leagues ahead of him in every single aspect and had been cornered.
To his temporary relief, Annabeth and Thalia had immediately joined the battle but even with all three of them against Koios, they were no match for him. Not by a long shot.
The Titan could somehow sense Annabeth and predict her attacks even though she was invisible. And after just a few minutes of fighting, the already tired demigods were on their last ropes and the worst thing was that Koios had just been toying with them.
Unfortunately, Annabeth was the first to fall. Koios had predicted the stab aimed at his mid section and simply side stepped before he violently backhanded Annabeth into a nearby wall. The force of the impact knocked Annabeth's cap off her head and she fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Thalia roared in anger after seeing her best friend being injured and shot the most powerful bolt of lightning she could muster at Koios, catching him off-guard, at least for a moment. He was blasted a few feet backward by the biggest bolt of lightning Thalia had ever summoned and she passed out due to the exertion a moment later. A few seconds later, Koios came to a halt with an impressed look on his face.
"Very impressive. The three of you definitely have potential. I'll tell you what, don't work for these foolish gods. All you will ever get as a reward is a partial immortality. Even if you win, the best you'll get is being a part of their little family. Join us Leonidas. You can become warlords, in charge of your own regions, free to do whatever you want and answerable only to the Titans. We can offer you power, full immortality and the freedom to do whatever you want. Want to burn down a mortal town for the sake of it. Go ahead. You can take anyone you desire. Maybe we'll even share with you." Koios offered with a smooth, friendly smile that somehow masked the disgusting cruelty in his words.
"I will not betray my family." Leo growled.
"Don't make me laugh. Family, morals, kindness, ideals, all these things are just unwanted baggage. Power is all that matters. Unlike the gods, we have no delusions about being a family. All of us will only do something if it benefits us, not out of some familial love. But this no-nonsense, utilitarian view is what filled our lives with pleasure. We did what we wanted. We indulged in what or rather, whom we wanted to. You can fulfill all your desires without needing to worry about trivial things like morals, family values and rubbish like that. If you stay with the gods, you will have to play by their rules and stay in the shadow of your brother for all eternity. Leonidas Jackson, the road to glorious power is in front of you. You should take it. Just like your friend Luke Castellan did." Koios revealed with a cunning smile.
"Luke is working for you? You are lying." Leo stated as he gritted his teeth.
"Luke lost his mother, the late May Castellan to a monster attack when he was ten years old. His father, Hermes intervened but he could only save Luke. Ever since then, Luke has harboured a deep grudge against his father. So it was not that difficult to convince him to join us. And he's been our faithful spy for the past few years. For that, he will not only have the opportunity to take revenge, he will also be granted power and authority beyond his wildest dreams once we raze Olympus. You can have the same thing. Convince your friends to join us, give me the shard right now and I will instantly bestow you with partial immortality." Koios tempted.
Koios spoke in such a deep and convincing voice that it caused Leo to falter temporarily but he snapped out of the trance a moment later when he saw the unconscious forms of his friends. He would never work together with someone who harmed his friends and his family.
"To Tartarus with your offers. I have everything I want. A mother who is waiting for me. A father who loves me and wants to protect me at all costs. Friends who care about me and family members who are always concerned about putting me in danger. Just because you manipulated one demigod, don't think you can manipulate others as well. You will never win this war. The gods will triumph again. And you will be thrown back into Tartarus." Leo shot back with steely determination.
"Then it's curtains for you, Leonidas Jackson. You will not only suffer in this life but, I will ensure that Iapetus torments you for all eternity until you grovel at my feet and beg me to destroy your scarred soul by tossing it into the void of Chaos." Koios declared with a sadistic smile and waved his hand, slamming Leo into the golden sarcophagus behind him and cracking his shield.
This time, Leo knew that he had definitely broken a rib or two. Artemis saw him injured and tried to teleport in front of him but due to this split second distraction, she hissed in pain when Theia cut a deep gash along her neck and it was only Artemis' divine reflexes that prevented her from being impaled.
"Your fight is with me, goddess." Theia stated before ensuring that Artemis couldn't get away from her, much to the goddess of the Hunt's chagrin.
"It's a pity Leonidas Jackson. You could have been a rich, alive demigod with all the power in the world instead of being a dead, helpless one. But you made your bed. And now, you have to sleep in it." Koios rushed towards Leo with his broadsword held in front of him.
In an act of desperation, Leo reached out for Percy's pitch-black swords that were above him to try and mount a futile final defense. However, as soon as he held the swords, he felt himself being overwhelmed by an unbelievable amount of energy.
His hands seemed to move on their own and he swung the ethereally glowing swords in a wide arc before striking them against each other just before Koios skewered him. The swords instantly released a powerful radial shockwave that violently blew Koios away.
That was when Leo heard a deep, metallic voice. But one that reminded him of the sea – "You are worthy."
Not realising whose voice it was, Leo made use of Koios being blown away to take the Celestial Bronze jar containing the shard and quickly opened it before crushing the shard in between Percy's swords. And this time, it was Artemis who kept Theia away.
Instantly, the swords absorbed the transient blue ball of energy that had been trapped inside the shard and turned the same colour before disappearing from Leo's hands and materialising above Percy's recovering form. A moment later, he was covered in a intense blue light as his energy signature skyrocketed. But once the light dissipated, much to Leo and Artemis' shock, Percy did not wake up.
"Looks like the only thing that will now wake him up will be the Titan King's essence possessing him. I must thank you demigod because you have just made him a far stronger vessel. Now, it will be much easier to destroy Olympus." Koios accentuated his statement with cruel, victorious laughter. Theia once again took advantage of Artemis' distraction to give her another deep gash along her arm and kicked her away.
"No. This can't be happening." Leo brokenly whispered and fell to his knees, with tears streaking down his face. He couldn't believe it. It seemed like even their best was not enough to revive Percy.
"Son of Poseidon, nothing will save you this time. Where is your precious family now? All of them have abandoned you. You will die alone and be forgotten. That is your destiny." Koios roared.
Koios charged at Leo once again and brought his sword down in an overhead strike, intending to cleave Leo in half. Leo closed his eyes as he accepted his fate. He had done everything he could do and had still failed. He was out of tricks and he was out of weapons. But the blow he waited for, never came.
Instead he heard a deep voice very similar to his father's which reminded him of a warm, salty sea breeze. But this voice carried a hurricane-like edge to it – "I disagree. There will always be someone he can rely on. That is what being a family means."
That was when Leo saw his elder brother, Perseus Diaboles standing in front of him in all his royal glory, blocking Koios' sword with his own. He was easily six and a half feet tall, with a muscular yet lean build and towered over even Koios.
He had long, messy jet black hair similar to their father and seemed to sport a long stubble. But the raw waves of power rolling off of him that confirmed to Leo that this indeed was General Perseus Diaboles.
"Impossible." Koios muttered.
"I would have caved this guy's face in a lot earlier but it took some time to regain control of my limbs. Sorry for the wait, brother." Percy spoke in Ancient Greek as he addressed Leo in a rich, warm voice that filled him with hope and energy once he deciphered its meaning.
"Your efforts will be futile. You are still not at full strength and that means-" Koios started but he was interrupted when Percy head-butted him with enough force to split the skin on his forehead.
"I can say the same to you as well, Koios. You are nowhere near as strong as you should be." Percy calmly replied before blasting him away with a shockwave.
Noticing him up and alive, Artemis got temporarily distracted for the third time and was about to be injured by Theia once again but Percy sent her flying with another shockwave before that could happen.
"Arty, I know you are very happy to see me but I don't think Uncle Zeus or Apollo will be pleased with me if you get impaled while staring at me." Percy joked with his characteristic mirth shining in his vibrant sea green eyes before his face turned serious.
"Two on two? I think we can take them." Percy stated after turning towards a recovering Koios and Theia.
"No! We got what we came here for. You are in no shape to fight. We need to leave. The demigods have sea green pearls with them but two of them are unconscious, how do we leave?" Artemis stated as she tossed a pearl at Percy.
"Let me take care of that." Percy answered and snapped his fingers, instantly activating the pearls that were with all of them and a second later, all five of them disappeared in a blue mist leaving behind a disappointed Koios and a fuming Theia.
"We have failed to use Diaboles as a vessel. And the gods have just regained their most decorated warrior. It's time for Plan B. Free the General. " Koios calmly ordered once they had left.
"Are you sure Koios? Isn't it too early to reveal that the Hesperides have turned against the gods?" Theia asked.
"Yes. But, we need the General. It is going to take a few years before my brothers and I return to full power. But Diaboles will be back to full strength or worse, he may become even stronger during that time period. The General is the only one who can recover fast enough to keep Diaboles in check. It's time to free the General and retake Othrys." Koios stoically stated.
They still had a high probability of winning this war. But, it had become much, much harder with Diaboles' involvement and as such, they needed to calibrate their response to it. To do that, they had to start with reining in Perseus Diaboles because he was a very dangerous enemy. And presently, there was only man capable of doing that – Atlas.
Percy, Artemis, Leo, Thalia and Annabeth materialised on Montauk beach a few seconds later. And the first thing Artemis did was to rush forwards and scoop Percy in a hug. All the while, Leo awkwardly stood still, not knowing what to do, with Thalia and Annabeth lying unconscious next to him.
"You're really back. After three thousand years." Artemis stated with tears in her eyes after pulling back a bit.
"Yes, Perseus Diaboles at your service, Arty." Percy stated with a warm yet teasing smile. But internally, his heart dropped knowing that he had been gone for three thousand years. That was a painfully long amount of time.
"I really missed you. All of us did. It's been three thousand years Percy. So much has changed. But everything else can be talked about at a later time. Right now, we need to get to Olympus. There's going to be a huge celebration tonight." Artemis stated with a wide smile but with a sense of urgency in her voice.
"Wait Artemis, what about the demigods? We can't just leave them here. They're injured." Percy stated as he gestured at Leo.
"Oh right, I forgot about them." Artemis stated with a hint of a sheepish smile.
"I don't blame you. This must be feel quite surreal for you." Percy stated with a sympathetic smile before walking towards Leo who trembled a little bit when Percy stood in front of him.
"I know I am a very handsome guy but are you just going to stand there and stare at me? I expected my brother to at least give me a handshake." Percy stated with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.
"Me? I'm just a demigod and your illegitimate half-brother. I have no right to even be around a legend like you." Leo honestly answered in broken Ancient Greek and he took a step backwards when Percy's eyes dangerously darkened.
"Whoever put those poisonous thoughts in your head couldn't have been more wrong. Listen to me very carefully Leonidas Jackson. You are a son of Poseidon and a Prince of Atlantis. Which means that you are my brother." Percy firmly replied. And Leo was left speechless.
"Percy, you can talk to him once all of you are well rested. The demigods are exhausted and injured. Let Apollo heal them and let them rest. After that, you can talk with them." Artemis proposed.
"Yes, you are right. I guess our family will be anxiously awaiting our return. Let's not hold them up any longer." Percy agreed before placing a firm yet comforting hand on Leo's shoulder.
"Brother, take some time to heal and rest. We will have a proper discussion in a few days. I look forward to knowing more about you. Now sleep." Percy gently stated before using a bit of his abilities to make Leo fall asleep.
Artemis snapped her fingers a second later, transporting the demigods to Apollo's palace and the two of them to the Olympian Throne Room. She was eagerly waiting to see the gob smacked expressions on the Olympians faces when they saw Percy.
Percy could barely believe that he was actually conscious. He had been in an unconscious and at times, semi-lucid state for so long that he had at best only been dully aware of who was holding his hand or talking to him when they were right next to him.
For such a long time, he had not had any control over his body and despite wanting to desperately wake up during heightened times of awareness, he had found his body and to a certain extent, even his brain to be unresponsive. At those instances, all he could ever feel was his body slowly recovering.
However, all of that had changed when he received a massive infusion of energy a few minutes ago and he had become conscious. Fully aware of his surroundings and with full control of his body. It had taken him a few seconds for him to get re-used to sensation of using his very stiff limbs but he had managed to get up in time to save Leo and get out of that bunker.
After that, things had been a bit of a blur. He had hugged Artemis back and offered her a sympathetic smile and had even talked to his younger brother. But standing in the middle of the Olympian Throne Room, it hit him hard that he had been gone for three thousand years.
Before he could lament, his attention was caught by the rainbow of flashes, indicating that the rest of the Olympians had arrived. And when they saw him standing in the centre of the throne room next to Artemis, they went completely silent as their faces registered expressions of disbelief.
"Son, is that really you?" Amphitrite asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's really me, mother. Perseus Diaboles, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, Prince of Atlantis and the General of the Divine Forces, at your service." Percy replied with a wide smile. And no one said anything.
Instead, a second later, Percy found himself being squashed between quite a few gods. In front of him, his parents were hugging the life out of him while Apollo and Hermes had barreled at his sides while Aphrodite had latched onto his back. While he was very touched by their gesture, his body was still very stiff, painfully sore and ached all over. And five Olympians squeezing him wouldn't do him any good.
"Guys, I am just as happy to be back but maybe you could not crush me. I just woke up from a long coma and would rather not go back to being a vegetable." Percy stated with a soft groan of discomfort and the five gods immediately pulled away from him with sheepish smiles on their face.
"Sorry about that cuz. Just got really excited." Apollo unabashedly stated and Hermes enthusiastically nodded his head with a smile that would break his face if it got any wider.
"I missed you, brother." Aphrodite stated with a soft smile.
"I can't believe you are standing in front of me. After three millennia, I finally get to see your eyes shining with life and with mirth once again." Amphitrite stated as she tears freely flowed from her eyes.
"My son is back! Perseus Diaboles is back!" Poseidon bellowed with a face-splitting grin. Percy shot a comforting smile at his father and the remaining Olympians made their way towards him just a moment later.
"Good to have you back, nephew. Life on Olympus was just not the same without you. We have been eagerly waiting for this day." Zeus stated with unconcealed happiness as he clapped Percy's shoulder.
"Indeed, our family is incomplete without you, Percy." Hera beamed at him as she gave him a hug.
"Seems like you haven't lost your knack for pulling off the impossible." Hades stated with a small yet proud smirk as he gave Percy an approving nod.
"What Grumpy here is saying is that he is very happy to have you back. Just like all of us are." Demeter stated as she pulled Percy into a hug.
"Nephew, the hearth of Olympus is the warmest it has been in three thousand years. And your return symbolizes the return of hope." Hestia scooped Percy into a hug as her eyes twinkled with unbridled joy.
"Forget all of that, I have my sparring partner back. You know, it's just not as fun to pummel things without your sarcastic commentary accompanying it. Good to have you back, Perce." Ares stated with a big grin. A similar grin made its way onto Percy's face as he extended a hand to Ares and to his pleasant surprise, Ares pulled him and gave him a brief, shoulder bump.
"Not a word about this." Ares warned the other gods in the room.
"We wouldn't even think of it." Aphrodite stated with a chuckle.
"Finally, my immeasurable skill in building and forging will be tested to limit once again with your groundbreaking ideas. With all due respect to Athena's excellence in innovation, there was just something missing without you." Hephaestus stated with a rare smile as offered Percy a firm handshake.
At the mention of Athena, all of them realised that Athena was still sitting as still as a rock in her throne as she blankly stared at Percy with glistening eyes. She had envisioned this day for the past three thousand years but now that he was actually in front of her, her mind had gone blank.
"Athena, it's me." Percy gently stated, breaking Athena out of her trance.
"Is it really you? You're not just another illusion, are you?" Athena hoarsely asked with fear as she gingerly got up and slowly walked towards Percy.
"It really is me Athena. I'm not just another illusion. I really am here, here with you." Percy tried to say with confidence but his voice cracked at the end as he made his way towards her.
Finally, they met in the middle and Athena cautiously reached out and tenderly held Percy's cheek. Percy leaned into her hand, seeking the comforting warmth it offered and that gave Athena all the confirmation that she needed, none of her hallucinations of him had ever done that. This was the real Percy.
She wasted no time in pulling Percy into a deep, passionate kiss, pouring all her love and intense longing for him into it. And Percy responded with equal passion and intensity after being reunited with the woman of his dreams. And they parted a few minutes later, short on breath as they rested their foreheads against each other.
"I have waited three thousand years for that. To feel you. To feel that spark of life in you. To feel that passionate love you harbour for me. To feel that comforting warmth. To feel anything but the cold unresponsiveness I had gotten so used to." Athena stated as she choked out a pained sob.
"I know Athena. I know how much pain I have caused you. I cannot imagine how much you have had to endure because of me. And I am so, so, sorry for putting you through that. " Percy stated with watery eyes and a voice thick with emotion.
Percy protectively enveloped his arms around Athena, pulling her into a loving embrace. And that was when the dam broke. The pain of three thousand years of separation and the raw emotions involved in the long awaited reunion overwhelmed Athena as she uncontrollably sobbed on Percy's chest.
Percy closed his eyes to hold in his own tears as he comfortingly stroked Athena's luscious, raven hair. He could not even imagine how painful this experience must have been for her. And it was a testament to her unmatched mental strength that she had endured through such excruciating pain with only a distant hope of reunion. He would have become insane if he had been in her shoes.
Out of respect for their privacy, all the Olympians patiently waited for Athena to let out all her pain and watched with warm smiles as the two lovers were reunited after three millennia. And finally, once Athena got a grip on her emotions, Apollo decided to speak up.
"This calls for a party. A huge one. I have already talked to Dionysus who has made all the arrangements. This will be the party of the millennium." Apollo excitedly chirped.
"What's a party?" Percy curiously questioned.
"You'll see cuz, you'll see." Hermes replied with a mischievous smile.
"That smile can't possibly lead to something good. I am not hauling you back to your palaces if you get intoxicated this time. And I am definitely not going to stop you when you make a fool out of yourself trying to flirt with Hecate when you're drunk." Percy teased with his characteristic lop-sided smile, with Athena still firmly in his embrace.
"Of course, that he remembers." Hermes grumbled, causing everyone to burst into laughter at his antics.
A war loomed in front of them but none of that mattered right now because this moment was reminiscent of old times. It was proof of the fact that their family was finally complete once again. And whoever came in their way would be defeated by the unbreakable bonds of family that held them together.
After taking Percy to his palace and quickly sharing the advancements in the mortal and divine world, as well as modern languages, cultures and styles of fashion to Percy, who thanks to his almost fully immortal biology, had managed to absorb a good chunk of that vast amount of information fairly quickly, they were about to go to the party Dionysus had organized.
Athena had to say, Percy looked incredibly handsome and dazzlingly debonair in his modern attire. He was wearing a perfectly tailored silk sea green shirt with his sleeves folded, the top two buttons undone, giving a glimpse of his sculpted muscles and his shirt was tucked into khaki slacks. Along with that, he was wearing brown formal shoes made out of fine leather.
His clothes accentuated his height and incredibly muscular body to the point where she didn't want to stop looking at him. And he was sporting a shadow stubble, with his hair noticeably shorter than it was half of an hour ago and set in a windswept yet regal way.
His vibrant sea green eyes twinkled with joy and mirth and Athena could barely keep her emotions in check. Every time she looked at him, she just wanted to pull him into a kiss, just to confirm that he was indeed back. Her train of thought was interrupted by Percy.
"Like what you see?" Percy asked with a suave smile.
"Oh definitely. But I am not satisfied with just seeing." Athena replied with a sly smile. Percy leaned forwards before whispering in her ear.
"Go wild. I'm all yours after this party." Percy whispered.
"Someone's feeling bold." Athena replied with a small smirk.
"Oh well, can you blame me? I have been away from my lovely girlfriend for a long time. I have to make it up to her." Percy with a wolfish grin that sent the ichor rushing to Athena's cheeks and she couldn't stop herself as she pulled him into a heated kiss. Unfortunately, they had to pull away when Aphrodite cleared her throat near the door.
"I know you two can't keep your hands off each other but Percy's return is the reason this party is even being held. So unfortunately, you will have to wait until this is over." Aphrodite stated with a knowing smile.
"I didn't like these events then, I don't like them now. Most of the people invited just pander their vanity. I would rather do something that involved only our family." Percy muttered.
"Hush Percy. You are the Hero of Olympus. And we are going to be fighting a long, bloody war against the Titans. It would be a very big morale booster for all our allies to see that the greatest hero in history is back to lead them to victory." Athena stated with a hint of sadness in her voice.
She had just been reunited with Percy but once again, he had to fight in another conflict which would decide the fate of the world. It was as if they were destined to never have a peaceful, uninterrupted life of their own.
"Of course, the war. How could I forget about that? I'll need a debriefing on enemy bases, our reserves, ammunition and the missions our agents are currently on. That brings me to a question, am I still the General of the Divine Forces? I just boasted that during my reintroduction out of force of habit. But I assume that I have been replaced." Percy calmly stated. He had never been one for titles and would gladly move over if that indeed was the case.
"Percy, you still are officially the General of the Divine Forces. After you went into a coma, Ares initially took charge of it for around one century while I was still grieving. But I took charge of it once I was back in control of my emotions. However, now that you are back, you can step back into your original role and we will split the responsibilities like we used to." Athena answered with a distant look in her eyes.
"You should have taken the role Athena. In fact, that was what I had in mind when I resigned as the General of the Divine Forces, after Achilles' death." Percy stated with a pained look in his eyes, causing Athena to realise that for him, it had just been weeks since Achilles' death.
"I know that you want a life of peace Percy but unfortunately, we are heading in the direction of another divine war. And we need you. Our family needs you." Athena softly stated.
"I will fight Athena. Just like I always have. But this will be the last time." Percy firmly stated.
"Alright both of you, now isn't the time for you to discuss such topics. That's what tomorrow is there for. Today is for you to enjoy yourselves. Bask in each other's presence. If I hear you talking about the war or battle strategies or anything of that sort, you will be in a hell lot of trouble. Do I make myself clear?" Aphrodite strictly ordered.
"Yes, mom." Percy stated with a teasing smile, causing both Aphrodite and Athena to chuckle. The three of them stayed that way for a moment, enjoying this moment of peace before they were interrupted by Amphitrite materialising in the room.
"Why are the three of you still here? Aphrodite, I thought I asked you to bring them to the ball. Everyone is itching to see Percy again." Amphitrite chastised before looking at Percy.
"My word, you look fantastic, Percy. I am so happy to be able to see you this way again. I didn't think that this day would ever arrive." Amphitrite stated as she teared up a little bit causing Percy to reach and pull his mother into a comforting side hug.
"Mother, you don't need to think about those dark days anymore. Because I am back. And I am back for good this time." Percy gently reassured, causing a happy smile to break out on the three goddesses' faces. There was nothing more reassuring than hearing him say those words. Perseus Diaboles was back.
Hey guys! First of all, I want to apologize for taking a day longer to get this chapter out. I am in the middle of a rough patch and don't want to release bad chapters so just bear with me for the next one or two chapters. After that, the updates will become much faster and more predictable. So the next chapter will probably take a week and a half for me to complete. Once again, sorry about that.
Coming to the chapter, I originally intended to take the route where Percy was possessed by Kronos and would act as an antagonist before being brought out of it but then I decided against it because I realised that then there wouldn't be a showdown between Percy and Atlas.
I reintroduced Koios because frankly, he was criminally underused in canon. I mean if he is as smart as the myths say, he should have been the first guy the Titans broke out of Tartarus. And of course, he is nowhere close to his full power yet so that's why the demigods didn't get killed as soon as they fought him but that result definitely wasn't far away.
Regarding Luke's role, he will be an antagonist but I will retain his characteristic of being an anti-villain. Of course, there will be a lot of difference between this Luke and canon Luke because the entire universe is different but Luke will primarily be a grey character.
I have tried to give as much emotional weight to Percy's return as possible and the next few chapters are going to focus more on him, his adaptation to the modern world, his preparation for the war and his emotional mindset.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!
