Chapter 15
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to the guest reviewer, I felt like just introducing New Greece without giving its structure, planning and administration any elaboration would be lazy and half-hearted attempt so I am very glad that you liked those details! Well the Death To Spies quote is mainly directed at the agents of the Divine Secret Service, though Nero doesn't know it's exact name or function, because it's the group that's caused him the most problem till date.
Nah, Meg won't be in this AU because I never really liked her and it would be a nightmare to bring her into this AU. Plus, while I liked the idea of Triumvirate Holdings, I disliked the Trials of Apollo series because it felt like they were making Percy seem way too weak just to make the other demigods and Apollo look better. All the best for your college applications and thank you for your support!
In response to Entei's review, I am very happy to hear that you like the consistency in my stories. That's the one thing I'm really particular on and always refer to previous chapters and stories to make sure I'm not making any continuity mistakes. Thank you for your support!
In risposta alla recensione di Amico, fidati di me, è un piacere per me interagire con te! Non so quanto sia efficace Google translate, ma spero che i miei messaggi non significhino qualcosa di confuso. Tengo molto ai miei revisori e sento che il loro feedback è estremamente importante per me. Grazie mille per avermi considerato il tuo autore di fanfiction preferito e grazie mille per il tuo continuo supporto!
In response to the guest reviewer, it makes me incredibly happy to hear that you feel so emotionally conflicted due to Percy's actions. Your review is a validation that my dream in making my readers emotionally invested in the characters in this fantasy, through a long emotional rollercoaster has come true. I do not want Percy's character to be a Gary Sue. Rather like a human's, I want it to have flaws and emotions and it makes me very glad to see that bear to fruition. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to John's review, I am extremely glad to know that you enjoyed the previous chapter! Seriously, you have been such a strong source of motivation for me with your amazing reviews that I can safely say that you have contributed an incredible amount to this story and the development of its characters! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Shadowhunter2077's review, I am sort of a bit sad myself that this huge trilogy will come to an end in a few months but like you said, as all other good things, even this shall pass. But at least I am grateful to have had the opportunity to make this an enjoyable journey for others. The idea of Percy as a broken veteran is the entire theme of this story. You're right, a lot of stories have Percy fighting in wars from Ancient Greece all the way to modern times but few realise that such a big amount of trauma eventually takes its toll on people, no matter how strong they are mentally.
I will definitely have that little bit where Zeus gives Percy advice on beating Atlas and I will probably incorporate it with another light-hearted scene. Yes, Zeus does get portrayed in a very negative light but in all honesty, he's a massive douchebag in canon so that's there. And it's not at all a problem that you couldn't review the past few chapters. I understand that all of you busy schedules and am really grateful that you take time to reply to me in spite of that. So welcome back and thank you for your continued support!
In response to Ben's review, truer words have never been spoken. Few can resist the allure of the magnificent Ferrari Roma :) I am very happy to hear that you rate this fanfiction series so highly because it's really great to know that there are people out there who enjoy what I write. 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 Ryan Fowler's review, I think that's a great idea really and I will definitely use some aspects of Achilles' spirit or say something like the hallucination of Achilles' spirit giving Percy the ability to finally move on. Especially given that I plan another blast from the past for him. Regarding Zoe, your feedback is duly noted and while I can't give away too much information, I can safely say that Atlas and Zoe will have a markedly different dynamic than the one in canon. Thank you for the fantastic idea and for your continued support!
In response to XD's review, I am very sorry about that typo. It has been corrected. I usually do my best to weed out all typos but some unfortunately slip past. I go through my stories from time to time to further cut down on typos but please bring any other ones to my attention. Apologies.
In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently), Percy's swords absorbing the shard of the sea not only make him stronger but also add an element of drama like you stated. And it's also going to be something that rises to prominence more in the Atlas arc. I am happy that you enjoyed the detailed description I gave of New Greece! It took some time to actually make it a credible fictional city but the effort was totally worth it. And yes, I will definitely not just rush any of the demigod pairings, the Leo X Annabeth one included. Yup Nero's in a truckload of trouble.
Thanks for your opinion on the longer chapters. You're right, it's definitely quality over quantity and that's why I take an extra day or two to edit and rewrite the chapter if I feel it's not up to the mark. I am glad that's proving to be successful. Thank you for nominating the Titans! It's remarkable because those two were the ones I was thinking about as well so I hope you enjoy their appearances! Thank you for your valuable feedback and your continued support!
In response to SavageDestiny007's review, the Roman emperors are still as powerful, from a combat perspective as they were in the Trials of Apollo series. But since Percy is so OP, they look like a bunch of legacies in front of him. Percy going back to his swords is a symbolic portrayal of him being forced to face the past he swore to leave behind. It's a sign that no matter how much he tries to power ahead, his past will always catch up to him. Yeah, you'll definitely see some Reyna X Jason fluff very soon. I'm thrilled that you liked the previous chapter and I hope that you like this one as well! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to PowerSeeker7545's review, that's a great bit of feedback. On hindsight, I did realise that the demigods sounded more like adults than like teenagers and I have tried changed my approach accordingly in this chapter! I'm glad you liked the previous chapter and I hope that you like this one as well! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to MegaRayquaza8121's review, it's not at all a problem that you couldn't review the past few chapters. I understand that all of you have busy schedules and I am really grateful that you take time to reply to me in spite of that. Thank you for your continued support and welcome back!
In response to Jubby1905's review, I am delighted to know that you enjoyed the interaction between Percy and Hestia. Nothing makes me happier than to know that I have properly executed the idea of a reviewer! With his swords, Percy should be able to go head to head with Atlas and the Big Three. Yeah, he'll spar with Zeus and the Big Three once he reaches their level. But that power will come with an added caveat of mental instability, adding another layer of depth to the plot. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Arden2709's review, thank you for your valuable input. Based on the general consensus, I have decided to stick with the longer chapters. Oh with the swords, you can expect super OP Percy :) Thank you for your continued support!
Finally, I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support! Trust me, I have no intention to stop updating anytime soon!
Warning - Smoking is extremely injurious to health and as the author, I am in no way endorsing or promoting smoking through my characters. In this chapter, any and all instances of fictional characters smoking are in a world of fantasy where it means nothing and is done purely for the sake of entertainment. Doing the same in the real world will lead to an early grave.
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Nico had never seen Percy in such a furious state of mind. His one week vacation in the Underworld had ended one day early when Percy had called for an urgent debriefing at the middle of the night.
He was the first one to show up at the war room in Athena's palace, after Percy and Athena of course, and as all the other demigods, the Hunters of Artemis and Artemis herself trickled in over the course of a few minutes, Nico silently observed the smouldering intensity that Percy's eyes held.
"Now that you are all here, let me explain the reason as to why I called this meeting a day earlier than I was supposed to." Percy stated in a calm voice but everyone could feel the underlying tone of anger in his voice.
"Did something happen, Percy? You seem angry." Zoe shared her observation.
"Something did happen, Zoe. In fact, something very tragic happened. Today, some of Nero's henchman mauled two demigods – Mark, a son of Ares and Erithea, a daughter of Apollo, to death and then threw their bodies into Camp Half-Blood." Percy revealed as his eyes darkened with rage.
"What? How? I thought all demigods were supposed to be in either of the two camps. The borders were shut down a year ago." Artemis voiced her confusion.
"These two demigods were nineteen year olds who had gotten married in New Greece over a year ago and before it became clear that we were facing a war, they had taken permission from Chiron to roam the world for a year or two." Athena answered in a sombre voice.
"Why didn't Chiron ask them to come back?" Leo questioned with frustration.
"He did not want to bring them into this war. They had just graduated from camp duties. He felt like they deserved to be blissfully ignorant. Unfortunately, they were too old and too powerful to go unnoticed for a very long time and Nero's forces tracked them down and killed them." Percy explained with a deep sigh.
"Why would they just kill two random demigods?" Thalia asked, not understanding Nero's motives.
"What reason does that monster need to kill? Thalia, we are not just fighting against actual monsters, we are fighting against figurative ones as well. And Nero's one of them. He's done this as savagely as possible in order to send a message – Mors Ad Exploratores." Percy replied through gritted as he held the mahogany table in a vice grip, cracking it.
"Death To Spies." Reyna translated the Latin sentence to English with a small yet audible gasp.
"He knows that there are an elite group of demigods, apart from the Hunters of Artemis, who are acting as spies and agents for the Divine Forces. And he assumed Mark and Erithea were a part of the Divine Secret Service. So he killed them." Athena concluded with a grim expression on her face.
"What do we do now?" Jason asked in a quiet tone.
"We retaliate and cause ten times the pain and suffering to Nero that he caused to those two young demigods with such bright futures. He wanted to pick a fight with the Divine Forces. He will get one." Percy answered in a dangerously low voice as the winds started to pick up and swirl around him.
"Percy, calm down." Athena softly whispered as she placed her palm on Percy's shoulder, calming him down significantly but the anger still blazed in his eyes.
"How do we do that?" Nico questioned with a determined expression on his face.
"By staging a fake defection." Percy answered in a simple way, causing shock to spread across everyone's faces.
"What?!" Everyone except Athena voiced their shock simultaneously.
"Let me explain. Nero will most certainly be expecting an attack from us. He's not an idiot. He will know that we will retaliate. We may launch a surprise attack and destroy one or two of his bases before the Titans and their armies start rushing to his defence. Then, we will have to match their deployment which we aren't ready for. And the Titans know that's our weakness. We neither can nor are we willing to mobilize the sheer amount of disposable forces on the scale that the Othryian Forces can. So, we will need to bring in another element of surprise in the form of a fake defection in order to take him down." Percy calmly expounded.
"How do we even pull off a fake defection?" Phoebe asked with some trepidation on her face.
"Very simple, first, we launch an all-out attack on the base that doesn't contain Nero and obliterate it. Based on the information the wind gods have obtained from rogue spirits they caught this evening, right now, the one in Boston has the least amount of troops and doesn't have Nero. Simultaneously, another strike team will attack the base containing Nero which currently is the one in Miami and will destroy that base, while the other team destroys the one in Boston. Once we are in that base, Percy will stage a fake defection and save Nero from our onslaught." Athena answered in detail.
"Wait, did you just say that Percy would stage a fake defection? I understand that he's a master of stealth and all but it's pretty easy to recognise him physically, even if he manages to hide his energy signature perfectly. Plus, even if he does change his appearance using the Mist, wouldn't Nero be able to see through it?" Annabeth respectfully raised her reservations about this plan.
"My young niece, I think you underestimate how stealthy my brother can really be. He is not called the world's best tracker for no reason. He can completely mask his energy signature and make himself metaphysically invisible. And looking physically different is not at all a challenge. He is after all a god with a sliver of a mortal soul. If he wanted to, he could disappear off the face of the Earth and we wouldn't be able to track him down." Artemis praised Percy as she softly chuckled at Annabeth's naivety, leaving the young demigod blushing in embarrassment.
"Your question was not invalid, Annabeth. Artemis is right in almost every way except for the part where she said that I could disappear off the face of the Earth and the gods wouldn't be able to track me down. They most certainly will. Especially considering that they have the world's best hunter." Percy complimented Artemis who gave him a small smile. Percy's eyes softened for a split second before they shifted back into hard slits of silent fury a moment later.
Percy then decided to give them a demonstration of his ability and snapped his fingers. Instantly, his hair lengthened considerably and turned blonde. And it was tied into a loose ponytail while he grew a trimmed beard, which together gave him a rugged look. But his sea green eyes which had shifted to a dark emerald colour due to fury remained the same colour.
"Percy Jackson, son of Thetis." Percy introduced the identity of his alter ego in a markedly gruffer voice as his energy signature dramatically dipped to that of a demigod's.
"Unbelievable." Leo squeaked out with unbridled awe as he stared at Percy with his mouth open. He was extremely honoured that Percy had decided to use his surname for his alter ego.
"What are you going to say when he asks you why you want to defect?" Atlanta, one of Artemis' hunters and Athena's daughters, asked.
"I'll tell him I am defecting because I was betrayed by the Fates. I will tell him that I am out for vengeance. And I will cook up some story about how the Olympians and the other gods betrayed me and some other fabricated stuff like that to explain my invulnerability." Percy grunted out in a edgy way.
Most of the others were not able to discern the deeper emotions involved in his declaration but the extremely striking similarity his alibi bore to Achilles, physically and in other ways, did not go unnoticed by Athena, her children and Artemis. But they chose not to say anything as Percy changed back into his real form.
"While very impressive, this illusion does have its limitations. Any full immortal worth his or her salt will be able to look past this illusion and see his real physical form if Percy comes face to face with them." Athena explained with a small amount of worry in her eyes.
"That's the reason I am the one doing this. Asking one of you to do this would not be right as this is going to be an extremely dangerous mission. I do not want to expose anyone else to such danger." Percy stated with a faraway look in his eyes.
In all honesty, with enough time, he and Athena could have probably come up with a safer plan but there was no time for that. Rather, he was very impatient and wanted to avenge Mark and Erithea as fast as possible. He didn't care if this plan was more dangerous. It would allow him to execute his revenge swiftly.
"But what if you come across one of the Titans?" Zoe asked with concern shining in her volcanic black eyes.
"I will wait for all of you to reinforce me and stall them. If that's not possible and if push comes to shove, I will tear the whole place down with earthquakes and shockwaves and reduce everything to rubble." Percy coldly declared in a voice that sent chills down everyone's spines.
All of them often forgot why he was called the destroyer who brings damnation. If he wanted to and didn't care about collateral, he could destroy entire cities and armies, all on his own with earthquakes, hurricanes and shockwaves. He was a force of nature and they could only be thankful that they were on the same side as him.
"If there are no more questions, armour up. We will be attacking the base in Boston in less than an hour. Jason and Reyna, you will be going in the Aston Martin DB11. Similarly, Leo and Annabeth will take the BMW M8. All the Hunters, apart from Zoe and Phoebe will go with Artemis along with Aunt Selene to the base in Miami. However, Zoe and Phoebe will be going in my flying warship." Percy shared the logistical details that he had mapped out.
"Not that I am complaining, but how come Phoebe and I are coming with you?" Zoe curiously questioned.
"For the plan of attack that we have come up with, we need two potent archers and you two happen to be the most experienced Hunters." Athena patiently explained.
"We leave right now?" Jason questioned with some initial surprise which he quickly overcame.
"Yes. Time is of utmost importance. We were waiting for the report from the wind gods. And we got that a few hours ago. We will get a more detailed version of that in half an hour or so. But that's not going to massively change our plans. So there's no reason to wait any longer. Especially now that the pot-bellied sadist has killed those innocent demigods, I need to feed that monster his own sword." Percy impatiently declared with green flames of rage dancing in his dark emerald eyes. That was a promise. He would avenge Mark and Erithea at all costs.
Jason would be lying if he said he wasn't excited as he felt the rush of adrenaline fill him with energy and determination. He didn't know why he enjoyed combat so much. Maybe it was because he was a Roman. Maybe it was because his fatal flaw was power lust and he enjoyed the feeling of stamping his superiority over an opponent through physical combat. But whatever it was, it definitely fuelled him well.
"Jason, stop fiddling around and stop behaving like a hyperactive toddler. Honestly, should I be worried that you act like a determined puppy whenever we have to fight?" Reyna asked with an exasperated yet fond smile which she failed to hide.
"Hey! We are Romans. We are supposed to be fearless and valiant in battle." Jason indignantly argued.
"I don't think that acting like a five year old on a sugar rush is something you would call fearless or valiant." Reyna sarcastically retorted.
"Feeling sassy today, aren't we?" Jason grumbled under his breath.
"I'm just looking out for you. You'll thank me later when your head stays intact and you aren't turned into sliced sashimi because you got too excited at the prospect of fighting." Reyna dryly stated.
"I'll have you know that you are talking to the first son of Jupiter in centuries to have the ability to create tornadoes. I can just send anyone who comes my way into a spin, literally." Jason boasted with a confident smile.
"I take it back. If you end up as sliced sashimi, it's going to be because of your inflated head that's as big as Percy's warship." Reyna stated with faux disappointment.
"Then it's a good thing I have you to keep my bloated confidence in check, isn't it Rey-Rey?" Jason rhetorically asked with a wink, causing Reyna's cheeks to turn a deep shade of red as she turned away in an attempt to hide her red cheeks.
"Gee cuz, could you be more flirty with that statement. I'm miles away but I can see Reyna's cherry red cheeks all the way from here. We're on a mission. Not on a date." Leo stated with a wry smile on his face as he communicated through the mental link that connected all of them.
"Shut it Leo. We all know that your so called friendly night-out with Annabeth was just a date with another name." Jason shot back instinctively without realising where Leo's voice was coming from. His statement caused Annabeth to turn towards Leo with her eyebrow raised, causing him to quickly turn away while whistling.
"Jase, it's cute that you act so oblivious to the very well known fact that you and Reyna obviously like each other. Grow a spine and maybe ask her out on date little brother." Thalia teased through her own link and Reyna turned so red that Jason was a starting to worry that her cheeks would never recover from this rush of blood.
"How and most importantly, why are all of you a part of this conversation?" Jason asked with a huff of annoyance.
"You forgot to turn off the mental link, cuz. You've turned into quite the baller haven't you? A bit of courage would give Olympus its next super couple." Nico prodded Jason even further as he got involved in the conversation.
"Like you're one to talk about courage Nico. You haven't even admitted to anyone else that you have a massive crush on Thalia. You shouldn't stare you know." Annabeth took a playful jab at Nico, causing him to stiffen up and stay unmoving.
"Wait a minute, if we all forgot to close our mental links, it means that…." Reyna trailed off as she came to a realisation.
"Yes daughter. It means that I heard everything. It is one thing to try and court my sister and daughters but to do it so brazenly is something that does not amuse me. Have you ever heard of something called decency? Keep your hands off my sister and daughters. And if you really want to court them, do it in a dignified and serious way." Athena strictly stated, causing all the demigods to freeze and look like deer caught in headlights.
"Niece, I am sure that all those loud sounds that emanate from your palace at night are a sign of a highly dignified and very serious romance." Selene popped into this conversation with a rather interesting bit of information.
She was taking advantage of the fact that she had been added to the mental link just a while ago when she had been informed that Artemis and her hunters required a drop to Miami. Her statement caused Athena to turn a deep shade of gold as Artemis and the other demigods choked on their breath upon hearing this.
"TMI, Aunt Selene, TMI." Leo rasped out while he gagged. That was not something he needed to know. Ever.
Their reactions caused Selene to chuckle a bit but the light-hearted atmosphere was interrupted when Percy joined the conversation. His mind had been preoccupied with other things such as battle strategy and a burning fury and as such he had not paid much attention to their mental banter.
"We are only a few minutes away from the weapons factory in Boston. But the plans have changed. The latest information from Notus tells me that there is a large standing army along with a Titaness in the Miami base. So, I will take care of the factory in Boston on my own. The rest of you, led by Athena will immediately turn towards Miami and reach there in time to reinforce Artemis and her hunters." Percy gruffly declared, surprising everyone, including Athena. But none of the demigods or hunters had the courage to question him.
"Percy, are you sure you know what you are doing?" Athena concernedly asked Percy after temporarily blocking their mental link.
"This isn't the first time I have annihilated an enemy base on my own, Athena. I have taken down innumerable enemy bases during the Gigantomachy. All it takes is some earthquakes and shockwaves. It is easy as long as there don't need to be any survivors." Percy replied with a neutral expression on his face but the steely glint in his eyes did not go unnoticed by Athena.
"Percy, are you sure this is not just a manifestation of your rage? It doesn't seem like you to act like this and simply annihilate everything and everybody. What about the mortals, legacies and demigods who you think deserve a second chance?" Athena cross questioned.
Frankly speaking, she couldn't care less about those who had defected or about mercenaries. They had made their beds when they had chosen the wrong side. But ever since he had been forced to leave Calypso, Percy had learnt an incredibly amount of restraint so if he was ready to let all his power loose against enemies who weren't immortal, there was something wrong.
"You worry too much, Athena. Ideally, I would have liked to give some of those people who have mortal souls a second chance if they had deserved it but right now, my main goal is feeding Nero his own sword. And for that to succeed as soon as possible, this base needs to be rubble in a few minutes." Percy brushed aside Athena's concern and his armour enveloped him a moment later as he disappeared in a blue mist.
He rematerialized on the outskirts of Boston, near what seemed like a large factory. The factory easily covered tens of thousands of square feet of space and it had a huge banner on top of it with the words – TH Electrical Appliances, emblazoned on it in purple next to a symbol of a golden triangle.
Percy used his ability to sense energy signatures to determine that the building had about five hundred inhabitants that included monsters, mortals, legacies and a demigod. However, he didn't sense any immortals, full or partial, in the building.
The location of the factory was well hidden but once they knew the cities in which the weapons factories were, it was only a matter of time before the wind gods managed to determine their exact location.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Percy's right leg was covered by a blinding white hue as he prepared to destroy the isolated factory with one extremely potent earthquake. Neither did he need any of the weapons in the factory nor did he need any intel from those inside. All he needed to do was to wipe this factory off the face of the Earth and he did exactly that.
He stomped his foot down with a roar of anger and instantly, radial seismic waves erupted from the epicentre which was right below him and they got more potent as they propagated. The very ground shook and deformed under the immense pressure and the entire factory was subjected to extreme shaking for a few seconds.
The building's foundations crumbled and it collapsed on itself in just a few seconds, which resulted in most of the ammunitions detonating and releasing a giant fireball that was quickly followed by a humongous cloud of dust, smoke and debris that engulfed the entire area.
The survivors were given no respite as the aftershocks of the earthquake, which got successively weaker, battered the remains continuously for a few minutes, causing even more parts of the collapsed building to crumble.
Finally, when the dust cloud settled, Percy observed that his attack had not spared anyone, monster or mortal. He noticed that as a side effect, he had destroyed the entire forest and had caused some damage to a few buildings at the edge of the city but he didn't sense any casualties. With his mission here completed, he disappeared in a blue mist.
Athena was surprised to see Percy back so soon. It had been just a little over a quarter of an hour since Percy had left and he was already back in his seat, surprising everyone else in the warship.
"Back so soon?" Thalia asked with some shock evident on her face.
"Yes. The factory was on the outskirts of the city. All it took was one earthquake to collapse the building and the tons of ammunition in it did the rest. It's unfortunate that we wasted time in coming all the way to Boston." Percy coolly replied with a small sigh. This time lag had cost them about a quarter an hour compared to Artemis and her hunters.
A steady silence enveloped the warship with intervals of discussion where they coordinated their plan of attack about an hour and a half later, when they were only fifteen minutes away from their destination, they got a message from Selene that Artemis and her hunters had commenced their attack on the weapons factory in Miami, with Jason, Leo, Reyna and Annabeth confirming that they were providing air support to them.
Nero had been expecting a very strong retaliation from the Divine Forces the moment he had ordered the assassinations of those two demigods but he did not expect them to do it in mere hours.
First he had lost all contact with his weapons factory in Boston just over an hour and a half ago and now, Artemis and her hunters had attacked his base. Along with them were two war chariots bombarding his base with missiles and shells. Fortunately for him, Themis was with him at this point of time.
"This is a horrible intelligence failure on your part, you hairless baboon." Themis, the Titaness of Divine Justice stated with a sneer.
"It's impossible for them to have found the location of these factories so quickly. Even Commodus and Caligula didn't know their exact location. There has been an intelligence leak and that has happened because of someone in your army. Everyone in my organization is unwaveringly loyal to me." Nero rebuffed with a angry snarl.
"Whatever it is, you have already lost the factory in Boston and it's only through sheer luck that you have me here to save your fat hide. My army will take care of the Hunters of Artemis and I will fight Artemis long enough for you to escape. You sure are fortunate that you are too valuable to be left to die. That metaphysical barrier I set up a few years ago is going to play in our favour as all other gods will have to come in physically if they want to." Themis barked out orders as her curved one sided sword and circular shield appeared in her hands and she barged out of the room.
Nero quickly ran out of the room and through the numerous security cameras in his building that he could access through his phone, he saw that all the Hunters of Artemis were slaying monsters and mortals left, right and centre.
Whoever was manning the two war chariots outside knew what they were doing as they blasted holes into the sides of the factory and gained access to its inside, raining down explosive shells on his and Themis' army.
He was not too worried about them. Themis had engaged Artemis in single combat and the legacies he had hired started rolling out the heavier ballistae and missiles in the base. As long as Themis engaged Artemis, his and Themis' army would slowly but surely overpower the hunters and the annoying demigods.
However, he was brought out of his fantasy when the top of his factory was blasted apart with a beam of stormy grey energy, signalling that Athena had gotten involved. And that's when things went started to rapidly go south for him.
Another flying warship made its way from the roof and two additional demigods, most certainly children of Big Three emerged from it, wrecking havoc on his forces as the warship blew apart the base's defences. And rather than getting involved in a battle against both Athena and Artemis, Themis had decided to make a run for it as she boarded an attack helicopter and flew away, deserting him.
Sensing that his doom was imminent if he stayed, he rushed to his underground vault that housed thousands of missiles and other weapons and took the blueprints of a few of his next projects, ran up and was about to board one of his attack helicopters when he was intercepted by Athena.
Before he could plead or beg, Athena threw her spear at him but he failed to see that she had thrown it ever so slightly slower as he was tackled to the side and saved by a tall, blonde bearded man with a very muscular build.
The mysterious stranger simultaneously then threw a grenade at Athena's feet that detonated and seemed to stun Athena long enough for the stranger to escort Nero to his helicopter in enough time for a large swathe of monsters to occupy Athena's attention.
Nero should have been suspicious as to how easily he had managed to escape from Athena but as he caught his breath from that near death experience and stared at the mysterious man, a demigod judging by his energy signature, who had just saved his life, all rational thought was thrown out of the window as the helicopter zoomed away from the base and went into stealth mode.
"Who are you? And why did you save me?" Nero rasped out after he finally caught his breath.
"My name is Percy Jackson and I am a son of Thetis. As to why I saved you, I thought it would look good on my resume to save my potential employer." Percy coolly replied in a deep, gruff voice. His reply left Nero with more questions than answers. But he wait for now and instead ask them once they reached his Seattle base.
Nero studied the tall, blonde man, apparently named Percy Jackson, sitting in front of him with a cold, calculating gaze. He noticed that the man seemed to be in his late twenties and was easily six and half feet tall with a very powerful build. His flowing blonde hair had been tied into a ponytail while he sported a trimmed beard.
His eyes were a cold dark emerald green and they held a silent fury in them that made even Nero feel uneasy even though the man was unarmoured and was just wearing a simple grey turtleneck along with dark blue jeans.
"So, Mr Jackson, you say you saved me because you thought I would hire you but tell me, why should I hire a nobody like you who's the son of a minor sea goddess just because you happened to be at the right place at the right time once, that too by chance?" Nero asked as he intensely stared at the man in front of him, testing his mental fortitude. And he was impressed when Percy didn't even flinch under his intimidating gaze.
"While it would be easy to brush off my appearance as a coincidence, it would be very naïve to do so. I knew exactly what was going to happen and how it was going to happen just like I can tell you with surety that Perseus Diaboles reduced your Boston base to rubble shortly before the attack on your Miami base commenced." Percy calmly replied with an air of steely confidence.
"Go on, you have my attention." Nero almost impatiently urged as he leaned forward to listen to what this demigod had to say.
"You see, Signor Nero, I solve people's problems. And I happen to be extremely efficient at what I do." Percy neutrally answered.
"Ahh, a problem solver." Nero deduced.
"I'm more of a problem eliminator." Percy stated with a dark smirk causing Nero to let out a cruel chuckle.
"And how does that explain your knowledge about the gods' actions and information on my bases?" Nero questioned as he had a bottle of fine wine brought to him.
"I was bred by the gods and the Fates to be ultimate killing machine and as such, I bear the Curse of Achilles. I was supposed to be the next Achilles and that is exactly what I am. I was trained in the most intensive of ways until I was eighteen and then I worked for the gods, by scouting for threats, hunting down monsters and other such things. As a reward for that, I was granted partial immortality. But after just three years, they found my approach to missions to be far too brutal and ruthless since I was more interested in slaughtering my opponents than protecting the demigods. That led to my exile eight years ago and I have been roaming the world ever since, cursing them and the Fates and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge." Percy shared his made up backstory with supreme confidence as he accepted the glass of wine from Nero.
"Then what brought you to the epicentre of this war? What could I offer you now that the gods can't?" Nero asked as he pinned him with a suspicious stare.
"Revenge. Along with the freedom to wreak unhindered and indiscriminate destruction." Percy replied with a chaotic smile directed at Nero, causing the former Roman emperor to involuntarily shiver in slight fear when he saw the burning rage in Percy's eyes.
"Why join me? Why not join the Titans? They will allow to wreak even more havoc and take your revenge in much more barbaric ways." Nero countered as he leaned back into his chair.
"Signor Nero, I am many things but a fool is not one of them. Let's just say that the Titans don't have a good record of rewarding mortals or partial immortals very well. You on the other hand, have a record for rewarding those who work for you very well." Percy crisply answered. A long silence enveloped them as Nero deeply contemplated what he had to before finally arriving to a conclusion.
"You seem to be awfully resourceful, Mr Jackson. Perhaps you will be of good use to me. Welcome to Triumvirate Holdings." Nero finally concluded as he stood up and extended his hand to Percy who firmly clasped it.
He could use a loyal, tactical and powerful lieutenant, especially now that Commodus and Caligula had had their physical forms permanently destroyed and since two of his factories had been destroyed, he was in desperate need of competent commanders. And Jackson seemed fit to fill that role.
Little did he know that this decision would prove to be his undoing. Now that Percy had gained access to Nero's plans, it was only a matter of time before he delivered on his promise to Chiron and avenged Mark and Erithea.
Percy was attending by the looks of it, a high level meeting as he slotted into his chair in the conference room in Nero's Seattle base. And he saw some faces whose names he recognised.
Accompanying Nero was Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis, a nasty piece of work, and on behalf of the Titans, Magnus, a son of Theia and the Championship of Hyperion and Aurae, a daughter of Mnemosyne were in attendance, along with their entourage of a few bodyguards.
"I was expecting Theia and Mnemosyne, not their children." Nero stated with an unamused and vexed expression on his face.
"Mother is still recovering from her fight with Perseus Diaboles and Lady Theia does not trust your intelligence enough to risk being attacked by the gods once again. Lady Themis already faced a close call yesterday night when both Artemis and Athena attacked your Miami base and simultaneously, Diaboles destroyed your Boston factory." Aurae responded in a harsh tone.
"What are you insinuating, demititan?" Nero venomously questioned.
"That you are a useless pot-bellied fool who doesn't have even a half-decent intelligence unit. First, the gods found Commodus in Indianapolis and that accursed Diaboles gravely injured Lady Mnemosyne to the point where she would have lost her physical form if it weren't for the General's intervention. Then, the gods got the better of you once again when they targeted Caligula and Lady Phoebe separately and managed to stop us from obtaining the Golden Fleece. Now, they blew up two of your bases full of weapons that you were supposed to supply us with. It's a miracle that they didn't wipe out this and the Los Angeles base as well. They have been two steps ahead of you this entire time, you narcissistic swine." Magnus furiously accused. In response, Nero stood up with a sphere of energy in his hands.
"Watch your words you fiery brute. I could easily cut off your supply of weapons and watch as the gods crush you with their advanced munitions. There has been an intelligence leak and that has come from someone in the Othryian Forces. My organization is full of loyal commanders." Nero snarled back with an equal amount of ferocity. In turn, Magnus stood up and collected a ball of fire in his hands but Percy sought to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.
"Calm down gentlemen. There's no merit in turning on each other right now. Because if we do so, the gods will utilize our divisions to their own advantage." Percy calmly stated.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be Blondie?" Magnus threateningly questioned as he turned towards Percy.
"Percy Jackson, son of Thetis." Percy casually introduced himself as he brandished a cigar and lit it.
"Why is the son of a lowly water nymph here?" Magnus angrily questioned Nero in a voice full of condescension.
"Because he is competent and seems to have great tactical acumen. Plus, he's a man who was bred by the gods to be the ultimate killing machine so he ought to know a thing or two about their tactics." Nero justified as he put his weight behind Percy's alibi.
"If you are supposed to be so tactically brilliant, how do you explain the fact that the gods are so much better than your master when it comes to intelligence." Magnus challenged with his eyebrows narrowed at Percy.
"A high level information leak." Percy coolly responded as he huffed out a cloud of smoke before continuing.
"It can't be someone only in Triumvirate Holdings. It can't be someone only working for the Othryian Forces. A monster would be too foolish to accurately leak information without getting caught and a mortal would have too less knowledge of the divine world to be of any value as a double-crosser. That leaves us with demigods, legacies or demititans who happen to know the exact location of not only the weapons factories of Triumvirate Holdings but also the movement of the Titans. And only those in fairly advanced positions can be capable of having access to such information. So you already have your primary suspects." Percy concluded with a deep exhale as he lied masterfully. In fact, his fabricated theory was so good that it left Nero, Magnus and Aurae deeply impressed by his logical deduction.
"You seem to know quite a lot about tactics and strategy. Why don't you join the Othryian Forces instead? You can get a huge swathe of land like us and cause as much chaos as you want. You seem like an individual who would enjoy an immoral freedom." Aurae offered Percy what she thought was a tantalizing offer.
"How dare you try to poach my new lieutenant? This is not going to end well for you demititan." Nero seethed in rage as he threatened.
"Hard pass, Miss Aurae. For reasons I would rather not expand on, I would prefer to stay where I am." Percy politely declined, greatly pleasing Nero. But Aurae was not convinced.
"Think about my offer, Mr Jackson. The doors of the Othryian Forces are always open for you, in case you decide you want a part in a glorious reward." Aurae left one last offer on the table and was satisfied when Percy nodded at her.
"What do you think will be the gods' next course of action? And what do you think we should do?" Nero asked as he attentively leaned forward.
"As long as they have a spy within our organization, they'll know where you are, Signor Nero. So, let's stay here and wait. Prepare for an attack secretly. Only the five of us and perhaps some of the Titans should know that we are expecting an attack. Secretly transport all the prototypes, weapons and blueprints to the Los Angeles base and turn this one into a fortress. That way, we will have the element of surprise on our side and will be able to not only repel any attack but also find the traitor within our organizations." Percy subtly pushed Nero into his intricately crafted plan.
The foolish partial immortal accepted it without hesitation. And with that, all the pieces of this game of real world chess were now in position and all Percy had to do was initiate sequence of moves that would lead to the checkmate.
Hey guys! So as all of you wanted, I am going to be sticking with these longer chapters. That means they'll take eight or nine days but I'll also do my best to maybe bring the update time back to a week, without sacrificing the quality of course.
I have gone for one overarching theme in these chapter which is Percy's impatience and rage to avenge Mark and Erithea which I have woven into the plot of the final stage of the espionage arc. I have gone all out on spy themes and techno-pop in this arc and I hope all of you enjoyed it.
I have tried to balance it by adding that little bit of humour. That's because when I was going through the chapter and editing it yesterday, I realised that it was too intense and needed a bit of relief. So I hope that helped the flow of the chapter for all of you!
A shout-out to SavageDestiny007 for giving me the idea for some Reyna X Jason fluff which allowed me to come up with the perfect thing to lighten up this chapter. And another shout-out to PowerSeeker7545 for giving me some valuable feedback on the demigods' rather formal speech patterns. Also I hope that the guest reviewer who nominated Themis as one of the Titans was satisfied this with short cameo. You'll definitely see more of her and Astraeus very soon!
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!
