Chapter 10
Greetings viewers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to Sharky's review, I am thrilled that you liked the action in the previous chapter! You worded it perfectly. That's exactly how I want the action scenes in my chapters to be. Even though it's two or more supernatural beings fighting, I need to introduce a few elements that make the fight more realistic. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to the guest reviewer, I know, the female Titans could have evened the odds and not forced uncle Rick to sort of side line the other gods to ensure that it wasn't an Olympian stomp fest but I was disappointed that there wasn't even a mention about them. Anyway, that's the advantage of having an AU. You can introduce whoever you want to and give them any role you desire :) Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank the guest reviewer for your support!
In response to John's review, I am very happy to know that you feel like my chapters are getting progressively better because that's what I want as an author and I am glad that I can give my readers that experience! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to J's review, you are spot on. A story is only engaging as long as there are challenges that the protagonists have to overcome. We would all love to see the hero always win everything and lose nothing but admittedly, it would get boring if that happened. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Disco's review, trust me, the fight between Percy and Mnemosyne won't even be able to hold a candle against the clash between Percy and Atlas because the entire arc will sort of revolve around their confrontation and I am extremely excited to bring that to you once I am done with this arc! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Zoe Hunter Of Artemis' review, I am thrilled that you liked the action in the previous chapter! I agree, Leo still behaves like a brat who doesn't understand the gravity of the situation but that's because he didn't know that he was a demigod until he was fourteen and also, he is just a sympathetic and kind individual. But as this story progresses, it gives me an opportunity to develop his character and work with his flaws. 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!
In response to Walter Ha's review, well unfortunately, the trident is reserved for the Percy in the crossover :) And even though it seems like Percy is weaker in this story than he was in the previous story, he's not actually weaker. He's still as strong as he was. It's just that his power derates a lot because he doesn't have his swords to draw on and amplify all his power anymore. But this route gives us a way to see him overcome his difficulty rather than just stomping through all his fights! I am very happy to hear that you liked the action in the previous chapter! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to the guest reviewer, well this chapter came out just a week after the previous one and even the next one will probably take a week, give or take one or two days. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to The Prophesied's review, first of all, welcome back! It's been a very long time since I last saw you here and it's great to see you here again! I am glad to know that you liked the influence that this version of Percy has had on history and as you have said, it really does avoid a lot of the problems between the Greeks and the Romans that would have only slowed down the plot to be honest.
I really wanted this version of Percy to be different from his iterations in the previous versions and he's not necessary different in only good ways. As you will see, he's not only changed for the better, in some ways, he's also changed for the worse. The swords still have a bit of their gig left. Plus, like you stated, along with the changed personality, the different weapons gives Percy another challenge to overcome.
While the part where the gods give Leo, Thalia and Annabeth a bit of a knowledge boost may seem artificial, I just want to point out that it's not very significant. It's only good enough to keep them alive in their first mission. And it won't happen again. Well, the climax of this story will probably the best chapter I have ever written and it'll be powerful because of how long and how emotional this entire journey has been. But it's great to have you back and I look forward to seeing at the end of this story and hopefully, a few more times along the way. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to IceFire99's review, yes, I really do not want four of the original six Titanesses to just be filler characters or eye candy. I want them to be actual, credible threats. I am glad to know that you liked the way I portray a fight from the perspective of both parties. It gives a better understanding as to what each of them is trying to achieve. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Ryan Fowler's reviews, I don't think it will be possible for me to actually make Atlas an ally of the Olympians, at least not in this story because of the way I have hyped up the Percy vs Atlas fight and I don't think that their fight will be earth shattering if Atlas actually respects Perseus.
However, I think a part of your idea where Atlas actually being a caring father for his daughters would give me an amazing plot point to work with. I already had dropped a few Easter Eggs regarding this in the first story but this has given me some fresh impetus and some very, very usable ideas. I can't exactly reveal what I am going to do but I just want to thank you for sharing this fantastic idea with me! Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support! I am thrilled that you loved the previous chapter!
In response to MegaRayquaza8121's review, I would like to say all the best for your exams! And happy binging when you are back! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Jubby1905's review, I had not actually thought of a spar between Percy and Zeus or Percy and Hades but now that you talk about it, I think it would be a nice bit to incorporate. And this won't be the last time Atlas pops up :) Talking of Hestia, what would you like to see her do. I don't want to entirely side-line her character but I am a tad bit lost as to how I give her her own bit in some future chapter and I would love to hear to any ideas that you have! Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank Arden2709 for your continued support! I am stoked that you liked Atlas' comeback!
In response to Romeslayer's review, Percy will become as strong as the Big Three, eventually. He won't receive any more direct power ups but this arc and the next one will be more about how he finally attains his full potential through different means. Means that may or may not involve visiting an ancient being :) Thank you for your continued support!
Finally, in response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently), I hope you had a good vacation! It's a good thing that I linked the reviews of this story to my Gmail account yesterday morning so now I immediately get the guest reviews in my mail rather than getting them after two days in the website. That said, I am glad that you felt the way Percy looked out for the DSS agents was heart-warming. I didn't want to him to be some distant authority figure.
Regarding Leo's struggle, I guess it is difficult for someone as compassionate as him to get accustomed to the idea of killing but that's what the story is there for. His character will eventually develop and he'll learn to do what is right. I am glad I captured the reach of Triumvirate Holdings. This chapter will anyway give some more details on that.
Unfortunately, by the time I read your review, this chapter had been finished and edited once so no Commodus toilet jokes :( But, I guarantee I'll make up for that in another chapter. Maybe for Nero or Caligula. Well Percy's power sort of derated in the middle of the fight, that is, he stopped forcing through all his energy through his spear and since his spear doesn't naturally draw out and amplify all his energy, sometimes, he involuntarily forgets that he has to draw out all his power himself because he's learnt to rely on his sword for that. I'll elaborate more on that and the effects of Mnemosyne's little stunt in the chapter. Don't worry about the late review, I am thrilled that I could respond to it! Thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Percy hissed in pain as Athena poured sea water over the nasty purple bruise covering the entire left side of his neck and a large part of his shoulder. After the purple colour of the bruise faded very lightly, she wrapped a golden bandage filled with a paste of Nectar and Ambrosia around his torso, to also heal the dozens of other bruises across his chest and gut.
"This could have waited until we interrogated Commodus." Percy grumbled but exhaled sharply when Athena tenderly massaged the side of Percy's face where he had suffered a micro fracture with her special healing paste.
"That hiss of pain is the main reason why we are going to wait until you are healed enough and are well rested." Athena stated in a firm yet gentle tone.
"Athena, you have seen me fighting and winning battles with much worse injuries than these. I think that I could have handled a little interrogation." Percy stubbornly refuted.
"Yes, you have weathered through much worse injuries. But that doesn't mean I want to see you bruised and battered like this. You have one hairline fracture. You have a huge bruise that will take at least two weeks to completely heal and there is not a single inch of your body that is not covered in bruises. Not to mention that you have a very mild concussion and you have quite a few muscles that are peppered with micro tears. Just because you are invulnerable doesn't mean that you can repeatedly punish your body like this. You know what will happen if you go too far." Athena ranted with concern and fear in her glistening eyes as she remembered the state of his body during his coma.
"Relax Athena, I am back for good. Those days are behind you. You never need to think about that hellish experience ever again." Percy reassured Athena as he lovingly cupped her cheek.
"But are you really back Percy? Your immortal essence has changed and it has changed for the better in my opinion. But your mind is still stuck in the past. You are neither able to accept what you are doing nor are you able to reject it. You are fighting yourself Percy. A part of you wants to move on and start on a new leaf but another part of you stubbornly refuses to let go and instead forces you to always make present decisions based on past experiences. Why Percy? Why do you have to torment yourself like this? Can't you see that this internal struggle is starting to affect everything else?" Athena voiced her concerns.
"No such thing is happening to me, Athena. You know that I belong to a different era and that I am struggling to adapt. Especially to the fact that we no longer interact with mortals directly." Percy answered, trying to avoid answering her question.
"Don't lie to me Percy. You know it too. You shouldn't have struggled against Mnemosyne so much. Your power, it just derated in the middle of battle. And it didn't happen only once or even twice. It derated four times. Forget Atlas, if your power had derated this many times in a battle, you would have suffered very serious injuries even if you were fighting Koios." Athena gently chastised.
"Those were just a few blips Athena. Just give a few more months and I'll have it sorted out." Percy assured but he couldn't convince Athena.
"You are doing it again Percy. Can't you see that you are lying to me? Can't you see that you are deluding yourself? You are running away from the problem. Stop thinking about yourself for one second and start thinking about me. Do you think I can afford to lose you again for another three thousand years? This cannot work Percy. You cannot change everything about yourself just because of a few incidents. Incidents that weren't even your fault. You need to start believing in yourself again, Percy. Or else, this scene will repeat again and again and again, until the day your essence and body finally give in. I hope you know that you are still not fully immortal." Athena admonished with a mix of anger, frustration and worry.
She expected to hear a sharp retort of denial from Percy but she was surprised, and not in a good way, when he just laughed mirthlessly.
"I am an old man, Athena. A relic of the past. The world does not need a Perseus Diaboles anymore. And I am not sure whether it needed one in the first place. Prince Perseus, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite was enough. The Fates only wanted me to win the Giganotomachy for the gods. They didn't want me trying to turn the world into a utopia. Before I got excessively involved, the world was not a utopia but it was not a hell scape either. But I had to solve a problem that it didn't exist. And what it did result in. It resulted in the death of Achilles and hundreds of thousands of innocent people." Percy stated as he bitterly laughed but his true emotions on the matter were showcased when his voice cracked at the end. And that was when Athena saw him for who he really was.
Buried deep underneath all that humongous power, pragmatic intellect and indomitable will was a man who had been put through an ungodly amount of suffering and an unbearable amount of trauma for his age. And Athena instantly felt guilty for pressuring Percy. But she was only looking after him.
It was at these moments that Athena was reminded of the fact that maturity and experience which usually took millennia to gather had been forced upon him in just under a century. It was on these days when Athena saw just scarred his soul was.
"I have been in this game for a very long time, Athena. In fact, I have been in it far too long. I do not have what it takes, both physically as well as mentally, to do this. I am not a decorated general or some great hero. I am a burned-out killer left with just enough energy for one last mission. And when I say that this is my last mission, it goes both ways. Either I will help my family repel this threat or my body or essence will give out while I am at it." Percy confessed with a hollow, resigned smile on his face.
"So, you would rather die than do the one thing that could help you overcome these challenges? Are you even thinking about me? Does our future have no say in your decisions?" Athena questioned with a hurt voice.
"Athena, you and the dream of our future are the only things that are keeping me sane. I know what you are insinuating. But I cannot and will not take up those swords ever again. Because those swords are a testimony to all of my darkest actions. The old Percy died three millennia while defeating Tartarus and my past was buried with him. I do not care about reaching my full potential and I refuse to go back to my old ways. I am a changed man." Percy firmly answered.
"Percy, this is Mnemosyne messing with your head. You know your swords will help you become stronger. And that means that our chance of winning this war also becomes better. Which in turn means that both of us have a better chance of finally living that life of undisturbed peace and happiness." Athena implored.
"Will we really get that life Athena? Because I chased that dream my entire life and it has kept on eluding me. Now, it has gotten to a point where I don't know whether we will ever have that life. Threats will keep coming our way, Athena. We have so many enemies. And as long as I am who I am, I will not turn my back on my family. We will never have that life because I cannot let go. So it remains to be seen what will break first, my body or my spirit." Percy hopelessly stated.
"Percy, I know that you are exhausted with living this life. But you don't need to be the only hero. You don't always need to be the wall. That is your fatal flaw and you have to overcome it. For the sake of your own well being. But please, if not for yourself, then at least for me, please pick up your swords. At least once again." Athena softly requested.
Percy sighed very deeply and was about to refuse but then, he found himself staring into her stormy grey orbs that were full of concern and love. And he finally relented. After all she had done for him, this was the least he could do for her.
"Alright. I will try using them once I am completely healed. But if I am bombarded with emotional trauma, I am never picking them up again." Percy strictly stated.
"That's good enough for me." Athena stated with a soft smile as she pulled Percy into a deep and passionate kiss as she soothingly ran her hand through his silky hair.
She knew how difficult it would be for Percy to be reminded of his past and she absolutely loathed having to force him to do something he didn't want to do. But her action was entirely motivated by a desire to protect him and increase their chance of winning this war. Which would in turn allow them to finally live the life they had always wanted. A life of unperturbed peace.
Apollo was feeling conflicted. Seeing Commodus alive had in a way, taken a weight off his shoulders as he had finally been relieved of the guilt of killing his own lover. But after realising that Commodus was still the same sociopathic weasel he once was, it had reminded him of the reason why he had decided to kill Commodus in the first place.
"Look to you working so hard to make sure that I don't die. It must be tormenting you considering that you were the one who originally killed me." Commodus stated with a pained sneer on his face.
"Don't flatter yourself Commodus. I am only making sure that you do not die because Percy beat you within an inch of your life. I need not remind you of how much pain you are in and I will not be healing you completely. You will writhe in pain until Percy, Athena and Ares interrogate you and after that, I will pull the plug on you." Apollo harshly stated, shocking Commodus.
Commodus had been hoping to at least appeal to the part of Apollo's mind that had once loved him and he thought that he could exploit Apollo's soft spot for him and use that to escape. But it looked like that wouldn't be happening.
"I would listen to him if I were you, Commodus. Your hours are numbered. And there is no way for you to escape judgement." Percy announced as he, Athena and Ares entered into the dark room where Commodus had been bound.
"Look here punk, we can do this the easy way or we can do this hard way. You either willingly give us all the information you know and I will not rip your limbs apart. Or, you resist and I'll tear off each of your limbs, one by one, until you vomit all the information you know along with all the Ichor in your gut and beg me to kill you." Ares declared in a steely voice as his eyes burned like balls of fire.
"You cannot kill me. I am immortal." Commodus rebuffed.
In a bout of defiance, Commodus tried to utilize his semi healed state to gather all his energy in one place and blow himself up but before he could do that, he was left reeling when Percy brutally embedded his fist into Commodus' stomach.
"Commodus, you don't have the luxury of scattering your essence. That's our job. Don't worry, we will spread your essence so thin that you will never be able to even take a conscious form. There is no doubt about that. But, that will happen only after we extract every iota of information about your organization from you. Once you give us everything we want, you have our permission to die." Athena coldly stated.
"So, tell us, what is the name of your organization? Where are your bases? What all have you sold to the Titans? And I know that you don't have the brains to run such a large organization on your own, so who are your partners? I'll not ask this again. Next time, I will liquefy your insides and force the information out of you." Percy stated with a hurricane like edge to his voice. And finally, Commodus cracked under the pressure of four extremely powerful deities.
"The name of our organization is Triumvirate Holdings. One of our headquarters was in Indianapolis, which you now destroyed while the other one is a floating armada made up of fifty super yachts, with each one of them having two attack helicopters, one submarine, an army of monsters and mercenaries as well as a huge stockpile of weapons. We have factories in Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami and Boston, which all mass produce weapons for the Titans. Till date, along with all the ballistae, missiles and other conventional weapons that we supplied them with, we have also built about a hundred advanced, enchanted bunkers for the Titans which they can use to set up mobile bases while staying undetected. The other leaders of Triumvirate Holdings are Nero and Caligula." Commodus answered in detail.
Percy looked at Apollo to know whether Commodus was speaking the truth and then turned his attention back to the bound former Roman emperor to continue when Apollo nodded at him.
"You have a floating armada? That too one that big? I assume it's enchanted to escape the eyes of the House of Poseidon. But even then, the only place where it could have hidden consistently must be in the Sea Of Monsters or in the sea that lies beyond our sphere of influence. Who's leading this armada?" Percy deduced before questioning.
"Caligula is the one leading the armada. And they were operating in the Sea of Monsters until a few weeks ago. Now they are sailing to meet Phoebe, the Titaness of Healing and Prophecy and the consort of Koios in New Orleans." Commodus revealed.
"Why? To discuss the sale of some other weapons?" Athena questioned.
"Yes, but that's not the only reason why this meeting will be taking place. They are meeting to discuss the sale of the Golden Fleece. After scouring the entire Sea of Monsters for centuries, Caligula finally managed to get a hold of the Golden Fleece and the Titans want it desperately." Commodus answered.
"Of course they want the Golden Fleece. It will heal all their best fighters and bring back the Titan King in just a few months." Athena stated and shared a concerned look with Percy, Ares and Apollo.
"Looks like our hands will be full in the coming weeks." Percy grumbled with an annoyed voice.
"When is this meeting taking place?" Ares interrogated.
"I do not know the exact details. But it will take at least a few weeks because Caligula has to sail very carefully when he is close to the mainland." Commodus replied.
"Where is that ugly goat Nero? Doesn't he have a permanent base?" Percy stated as his face scrunched up in disgust at the mention of Nero's name.
"Nero always travels between our bases in his specially fitted private jet. The last time we spoke, he was in Boston." Commodus stated.
"What about the Titans' bases? Where are they?" Athena questioned.
"I don't know. Caligula and Nero don't know about the locations of the Titans' bases either. We only sold them the weapons and bunkers. The Titans always had their own cyclopes and Laistrygonians who carried the weapons back to their camps." Commodus admitted.
"Tell me one thing Commodus, what did the Titans promise you? You already had wealth. And if you had never gotten involved in the this war, we would have never known that Triumvirate Holdings actually existed. Why risk everything for the possibility of the Titans winning?" Apollo questioned, deviating from the topic. Commodus took some time before answering.
"Nero and Caligula wanted to be a part of the new world order and Theia had reached out to us as far back as a millennia ago. So this was a plot that gave everybody what they wanted. The Titans wanted to rule the entire world. Nero and Caligula were promised that they would be overlords of entire continents. But I was promised that I would get you. I had imagined the day where you and I would finally meet after that fateful day when you killed me. But the irony is that I fantasized that our roles would be reversed. That I would be the one interrogating you." Commodus bitterly stated.
"Revenge has not given you satisfaction, Commodus. And it never would have. Even if you had won this war and gotten Apollo, trying to inflict a wound on him would have never healed your own scars. That is because you arrogantly refuse to admit that you were a horrible emperor. And your desire for revenge blinded you from turning a new leaf when you got a second chance. These two have proven to be the sole causes of your downfall." Percy neutrally stated and his spear materialised in his hand.
"No. You have done enough for today, Percy. Let me blow this pompous caricature out of existence." Ares stopped Percy before firing a monstrous beam of blood red energy at Commodus.
The beam obliterated Commodus and scattered his essence permanently. The four of them stood for one moment before promptly moving on to their next mission. They had another meeting to crash.
A few days after their first mission, Leo tiptoed out of his room well after midnight and to his surprise, he ran into Annabeth and Thalia in the passageway that connected their rooms. And once he saw the same look of exhaustion and guilt on their faces, he understood that just like him, they had also been suffering from nightmares for the past few days.
They shared a nod and made their way down the stairs, deciding through their mental link that they would do their minds a favour by taking a walk in one of Olympus' beautiful gardens. However, once they reached the entrance of the living room, they saw that Percy was sitting at the bar in the corner of the living room.
"Let me guess, you couldn't sleep and decided to talk a walk in one of Olympus' parks to clear your minds?" Percy questioned without turning to face them as he downed a glass of dark amber coloured Nectar.
"Yes, how did you know? Can you hear our mental conversations?" Annabeth asked with some anxiousness in her voice.
"Relax kid. I can't hear your mental conversations unless you want me to. I knew what you wanted to do because I have been in that position and have done exactly that countless times. And let me be honest with you, it will not help you. While Olympus' parks are simply beautiful and you can get lost in their beauty, the mesmerizing sight in front of you will not distract you enough to escape the nightmares that you are suffering from. Been there, done that, doesn't work." Percy revealed as he downed another glass of Nectar.
"Does drowning yourself in Nectar work?" Annabeth asked as she eyed the glass of Nectar in Percy's hands.
"Actually, it does help quite a bit. Drink enough of it and you'll start feeling airy and lightheaded, it's the alcohol equivalent for immortals, the difference being that excessive consumption of Nectar doesn't harm us. Only thing is that you need to drink a lot of it to get a kick out of it if it's medical Nectar. But the ones I drink are specially created for me by Notus and Boreas. These Nectars are highly potent and have an intense fieriness or chilling iciness. A bottle of each intoxicates me and makes me pass out without having to worry about nightmares and it also helps heal my injuries." Percy answered as he filled his glass with pale yellow, almost white Nectar that had been given to him by Boreas.
"Can we have some?" Thalia boldly requested. She wagered that if it helped Percy, it would definitely help them.
"Kid, this isn't the stuff that Apollo applies on your boo-boos. These Nectars are so potent that even I need to alternate between Boreas' and Notus' Nectars to balance the extreme affects of the other one. I don't want to accidently kill the three of you." Percy rebuffed with a very uncharacteristic snort after he drunk all the Nectar in his glass in a single shot.
"Worth a shot anyway. If we burst into flames or freeze to death, it'll probably be payback for killing those mortals." Leo stated with a shrug and caused Percy to freeze and then sigh.
"Come here. Let's talk. I'll pour you a glass of my two most prized Nectars, you'll get all that guilt out of your system, then will pass out in an undignified way and you'll never have to worry about this mission again." Percy stated as three small glasses used for shots materialised next to him on the bar.
The three of them immediately accepted his invitation. Thalia sat on Percy's right while Leo sat on his left and Annabeth sat next to Leo. Percy then filled half their glasses and filled his bigger glass to the brim with the dark amber Nectar.
"Don't try to act fancy and sip it like it's some fine wine. It's not that type of drink. Drink it in one gulp or else you'll not feel your tongue for a week." Percy advised as he quaffed his drink and the three of them followed him.
Like he had told them, this Nectar was much more potent than any they had ever drunk. It felt like their insides had been set on fire and they couldn't think straight. Noticing that their faces were turning a feverish pink, Percy immediately filled their glasses with the pale yellow Nectar and the three of them gulped it down without thinking twice.
They felt the freezing chill from this Nectar counteracting the inferno that the other one had started and with that sensation of relief came a sense of lightheaded euphoria that they had never felt before and they started to feel more uninhibited.
"That's enough for today. And probably for a few months. You'll turn to cinders or will freeze your insides if you drink even a little more. Now, talk." Percy casually stated as he leaned back into his comfortable chair. That wasn't true but he didn't want them to actually get intoxicated. This was just to loosen them up a bit.
"I am a monster." Leo confessed as he held his face in his hands.
"I know that feeling very well, buddy. But that train of thought is an unacceptable one. I know you killed that legacy but whatever you did, you did it to protect Jason, who is your brother. Besides, you made the right decision when you allowed those three mortals and that other legacy of Apollo to live." Percy calmly replied.
"But they were still killed." Leo argued.
"Now that is something which is not in your hands. Once you allowed them to go, whatever happened to them is not your fault. You couldn't have saved them. Forget that, you didn't need to save them. Kid, understand something. Just because someone deserves to live does not mean someone deserves to be saved. There is a clear difference between the two." Percy wisely stated as he poured himself another drink.
"What is the difference? Aren't you saving a life in both cases?" Leo asked.
"No. Doing nothing is not the same as doing something. When you decide to not kill someone, you are only kicking the can down the road. What happens to them after that is not up to you anymore. If they turn a new leaf and become better individuals, the Fates will keep them alive. If they don't change, the Fates will snap their strings. Simple as that." Percy flatly stated.
"Isn't it wrong to be indecisive? If the Fates really give a person what they deserve, if we spare a person, it means that the Fates have decided that they deserve to live so shouldn't we enforce that fate and save them?" Annabeth questioned.
"Trust me, you do not want to be the Fates' lap dog. Those old hags will only use you to do their dirty work and you won't even get compensated for all the effort you put. They will still treat your life as impartially as anyone else's and you won't get any concessions from them. Faith is a two way street, Annabeth. Doing the bidding of the Fates' is like being in a toxic relationship. You give everything but get nothing in return." Percy bitterly stated.
"Is it safe to talk about them like that?" Annabeth fearfully questioned.
"Believe me, they know that I don't keep them in such a high regard. Kid, you have to be the master of your own destiny. And you can only do that if you take responsibility for your actions. As much as I dislike the Fates, one thing that I have to say is that they only weave your string based on the choices you make. Sure, those old hags may have a very objective and clearly defined compass of morality which is based on reality and facts rather than on ideals and opinions. But as long as you make the decision that you feel is right, you will be able to deal with whatever its consequences are. And you need to accept that your moral compass' classification of right and wrong can and will change depending on the situation." Percy answered with resigned maturity shining in his eyes as he gulped down another peg.
"Still, it feels so wrong to not follow up on a decision. Once we choose a path, don't we have to stick with it? What does it say of our moral integrity if we keep flip-flopping over a decision?" Annabeth argued.
"Nothing. It says absolutely nothing about your moral integrity if you change decisions. My dear girl, life cannot always be neatly classified, compartmentalized and stacked because as sentient beings with a conscience, all of us are incapable of permanently separating logic from emotion. That is the reason why the Fates are there. Because they can be impartial. You can't be impartial. You never were and you never will be." Percy sharply retorted. He then got tired of refilling his glass and started to drink directly from the bottle.
"But my mother is the goddess of knowledge and intellect. I should be able to make impartial decisions." Annabeth refuted. What she was hearing right now was turning her entire belief system on its head.
"Brat, get off your high horse and be realistic. If your mother herself is not capable of making any decision impartially, you sure as hell aren't capable of ever being impartial. Do you want to know something? True morality is never subjective. Lord Chaos never created a world with blurred definitions of morality. There is always something which is right and something which is wrong. And the difference between them is as clear as the difference between night and day." Percy flatly answered as he drank all the Nectar in the bottle.
"But here's the funny thing, there is not a single person in this world who falls entirely in only one spectrum of morality. We are all grey characters. And our morality is subjective for exactly that reason. Your logic is useless after a certain point because nothing you ever do will ever feel completely right or completely wrong. Attaining the ability to be truly logical at all times is like trying to be perfect, it is impossible. And trying to do the impossible will kill you." Percy harshly concluded as he shattered the bottle in his hand with a simple flex.
Annabeth felt a shiver of fear run down her back as she stared into Percy's dark emerald eyes that rippled with pain, anguish and simmering rage. Thankfully, Percy's eyes returned to their usual mellow sea green after he drank the other bottle of Nectar and took a few deep breaths. The three demigods stayed quiet. They were afraid of rousing him by saying or doing anything.
"I am sorry. It's just that your personality and your strong beliefs remind me of your late uncle - Achilles. And he died because he was a carbon copy of a younger me. The only difference was that I was lucky in that the protogenos meddling in my life couldn't kill me because my family didn't turn my back on me during my worst incarnation like I turned my back on Achilles. And I refuse to let any of you thread the same path. Because this path is filled with so much mind numbing and soul shattering pain." Percy stated in a slightly slurred voice as he wallowed.
"This path. It starts with guilt and an idealistic stubbornness. Then, it cruelly forces you to betray the woman you love by forcing you to part with her in order to save your family. It blinds you to the horrors of war. You are too absorbed in your own stuck up utopian ideals to notice that a primordial is trying to kill your nephew. And by solving a problem you failed to detect early enough, you cause immeasurable and unimaginable grief to the woman of your dreams by blowing yourself into a coma and becoming a vegetable for three thousand years." Percy stated in an depressed yet vengeful voice as he smashed his fists on the table, smashing it into a dozen pieces and thoroughly shocking the three demigods. But he didn't stop there.
"This is what will happen to you if you try to be a hero. But fate is a horrible thing. So it has forced you into this life already. But rebel against it. Who cares what the impartial Fates say is right or wrong. Do whatever you want to do. Make decisions that will keep you sane." Percy declared as he looked up and for a moment, he saw the stars. And all his worst memories flooded his mind, temporarily driving him crazy as he laughed hysterically. A few seconds later, he stopped abruptly.
"If you don't prioritize your sanity…." Percy trailed off as he hollowly stared at the painted ceiling and suddenly, an all-encompassing rage overwhelmed him.
"You. Will. Turn. Into. Me." Percy bellowed as he accentuated each word by punching and decimating his bar.
He was breaking all the glasses and bottles and was spilling Nectar everywhere as he roared in anguish and started creating craters in the floor, sending vibrations throughout the entire building.
There was a certain crazed edge to his aura. And it was extremely terrifying and painful for Leo, Annabeth and Thalia to see their role model in such a unhinged and anguished state.
They were too shell shocked to even move when they saw the most determined person they had ever known break under the stress of his own emotional trauma. It really put their problems in perspective and made them realise that their own trauma was miniscule in comparison.
A second later, they felt Athena, Amphitrite and Aphrodite materialising next to them. Athena immediately rushed forward and pulled a thrashing Percy into a bear hug, pinning him down as Aphrodite held the sides of his head and stimulated all the love he had for Athena and the rest of his family which along with the effects of the Nectars he had drunk, calmed him down and soon, he had passed out in Athena's arms.
"I am sorry that you had to see that. I know how much the three of you look up to him and it's always hard to see the vulnerable side of your heroes." Amphitrite softly stated.
"I cannot even imagine how much pain and anguish he has to keep under wraps at all times. It must take an incredible amount of restraint because that sort of pain and anguish would be enough to drive any man or woman insane. But yet, every day, he's the first one in the arena and the last one out. He's the one who undertakes the most emotionally and physically painful tasks. Where does he even get the strength from to just dust himself off and once again start walking on a path that gives him so much pain?" Annabeth questioned in a small voice.
"My dear, I would be lying if I said that I knew the answer to that. It's always easier to be a perfect soldier or a deep thinker than it is to be a morally good person. In fact, consciously being good is harder than anything else. And staying good is even harder. Because staying morally good comes at great personal cost. Percy only stays that way because of his indomitable willpower, gritty determination and most importantly, his fatal flaw of personal loyalty." Amphitrite answered.
"But why does doing the actually right thing cause a traumatic experience? Shouldn't you be satisfied that you are in the light side of the moral spectrum?" Leo questioned.
"Leo, doing something that is actually right does not always feel right. We are all sentient beings with emotions, Leo. Since we have emotions, we develop attachments to other people. Attachments that are not based on the other person's actual moral compass. So we wear rose tinted glasses and build our moral compass to accommodate our biases. Sometimes, with great effort, we manage to temporarily set our biases aside and make decisions objectively but unfortunately, it may mean that during those times, doing something which is morally right may actually harm someone close to you." Amphitrite answered.
"Percy was not wrong when he said that trying to follow the actual moral compass that the Fates follow is extremely difficult and that it will hurt you personally. It's much easier on your psyche to be right from your perspective and to only follow the general guidelines of morality. That is, it is easier for us to be personally right than it is for us to be morally right. And that is what all of us do. Percy is the only exception. I can confidently say that none of us would have been able to continually make morally right decisions without losing our minds." Aphrodite stated after Athena disappeared with Percy.
"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation with Percy?" Thalia asked in a slightly offended tone.
"We didn't mean to pry, Thalia. But the two of us have made it our job to help Athena keep an eye on Percy every night ever since Mnemosyne messed with his mind. He told you that he knocks himself out after being intoxicating but that's not true at all. What you are seeing today has been happening every night since the day of your mission. The Nectar only prevents him from remembering the previous night's events and my ability to stimulate all his positive emotions when he is also already intoxicated gives him good sleep that is not afflicted by nightmares. We just don't tell him about it because he intensely dislikes being a burden and no matter how much we try to reason with him, he'll refuse to let us help him. So we will appreciate it very much if you don't tell him about this." Aphrodite explained.
"We'll forget this ever happened." Leo promised.
"Don't forget everything. You have learnt a very valuable lesson today. Always do what you feel is right. Because you will always have regrets regardless of whatever decision you make. All of you have to do is decide what type of regret you can live with. And unless you are ready to wade through the constant and crushing emotional trauma that comes with making a morally right decision, don't even think of threading down that path." Amphitrite sternly advised.
"That's enough for today. The three of you are no doubt mentally and emotionally exhausted. Sleep in tomorrow and take the rest of the day off." Aphrodite stated with a sympathetic smile and waved them away.
"All of this is my fault. I was the one who asked him to be a good man. And that's what he's always been. But I should have known that there is a reason why no one can ever consistently make decisions that are completely on the light side of the spectrum of morality. It is because we all have our flaws and trying to make such decisions only puts the onus on them. I always thought that if anyone in this world could be morally perfect, it would be Percy. His fatal flaw of personal loyalty never manifested like Poseidon's or like his half-siblings'. But I never realised that I was pushing him down a black hole of a downward spiral. I am a horrible mother." Amphitrite confessed as her voice cracked and she buried her head in her hands.
Seeing her son suffer like that had made her life a living hell. She could not fathom destiny's cruelty. She could not understand how the Fates treated the one person apart from them who did not crack under the weight of a hundred moral rights. But she wasn't qualified to say what was right or what was wrong because she was always a wife and mother first and everything else later.
"No, you raised him to be the best of us. Which he undoubtedly is. All we can ever do is support him emotionally because none of us will ever understand the price he had to pay for making those hard choices." Aphrodite solemnly stated, calming Amphitrite down.
Aphrodite was right. All they could ever do was be there for him. And the two women, as a mother and sister respectively, made an unspoken promise that they would always be there for him. That was the least they could do for him after everything he had done for all of them.
Hey guys! So after missing my update targets for a few weeks, I finally managed to get this one out in seven days and its longer than most of my previous chapters.
Coming to the chapter, I have tried to portray the effects of the mission on the various characters involved in it but I have focused mainly on Percy and his reaction to it.
In this chapter, I wanted to make distinction between this Percy and the one in the previous books. In the first book, he doesn't go through any emotional trauma until the Calypso Arc and until then, he is young, ruthless and single minded.
Towards the end of the first book and in the second book, he is very calm, very confident in his own skills and has an excellent grip on his emotions despite all his emotional trauma. But in the end of the second book, after Achilles' death, he starts to become a bit less collected.
Here, I want to show him as an exhausted fighter. And I wanted to portray him as someone who is a candidate for a psychiatrist's couch. He's not always in control anymore and just let's loose sometimes.
Also, I have borrowed the Julia Drusilla Yachts concept from the Trials of Apollo and plan to use them in the next part of this arc. I don't remember reading Nero having any permanent base. He had an apartment in Manhattan during the Hidden Oracle but that wouldn't work here so I just gave him four other bases.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!
