Chapter 17
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to Ooh's review, well, your wait ends here because the Atlas Arc has been kicked off with this chapter. It's the most anticipated chapter in perhaps this entire trilogy and I am extremely excited about writing it. And I am glad to see you share that sentiment! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to MysteryTrident14's review, first of all, welcome back! I know first hand how stressful college applications are so I wish you all the very best for them! I have planned out five arcs for this story, one for each book of PJO and so far, two arcs have been completed with three remaining. The Atlas Arc is not the last arc. I'm just super hyped about it because I actually started writing this trilogy because I wanted to see a proper fight between an OP Percy and Atlas. But rest assured, this story and the trilogy will end only after the entire Second Titan War has been covered completely. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Shadowhunter2077's review, to be honest, even I sort of disliked the Trials of Apollo series. First of all, Percy's character got screwed over completely to make Apollo look good and while I enjoyed reading about Triumvirate Holdings and the Three Emperors, the demigods' arcs were a huge let down. I especially didn't even understand the mess that Jason's character went through and I am glad that I could sidestep that demigod power level problem.
I thought Krios was the Titan of Stars? That's a good detail about Menoetius. I feel like the personal vendetta he holds against Zeus could prove to be especially important when he eventually faces off against Ares. Thank you for that piece of information and for your continued support!
I would like to thank yoooo for your support! I am glad you liked this story!
I would like to thank the emoticon using guest reviewer for your continued support!
I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!
In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently), well, I needed a scapegoat and I never liked Ethan's character, even though he sort of did the right thing in the end so I decided to make him the total baddie. Glad you liked the raw emotion through which Percy executed Ethan. I wanted to show that Percy wasn't motivated just by a desire to protect his family, he was out for revenge.
I am thrilled to hear that you liked Astraeus' portrayal! He still has a lot to contribute to this story! Yes, while I want Percy to do some unusual actions due to internal turmoil, at the end of the day, he's still a good guy. I don't want him to turn into some anti-hero. There's the crossover for that. Yes, the Atlas Arc begins with this chapter and I have done my best to give a glimpse into what you'll be in store for! As always, it's a pleasure to be responding to your reviews and thank you for your continued support! P.S. Percy will definitely be getting some therapy.
In response to Ryan Fowler's review, well your ideas have been fantastic for this story! And I am very glad to have been able to incorporate them in a way that makes you think I have done a good job! Well, I still have a lot left for all of you, in this story and beyond! Thank you for your kind words and for your continued support!
Responding to Kronosbluehairbrush's reviews, I did correct that sentence you just mentioned in the fifteenth chapter. Sorry about that. Even though I have been learning and speaking English since I was three years old, I don't happen to be a native speaker so some rather silly mistakes often creep through. And I do apologise for them. Please don't hesitate to flag any other mistakes.
Yes, Leto definitely feels like a mama bear character. You know, it would actually be fun to see her coddle Apollo and Artemis and maybe embarrass them or something like that, it would provide some relief in a tense chapter. I am planning to go into more detail about the effect that having to fight those who were once considered family will have on Helios' and Selene's minds. And I will also explore the effect it has on Rhea, in this arc. I can't give away too much on the subject of Calypso but I can tell you that her role in this trilogy is far from her. But I will say that your ideas are fantastic! That's definitely true, Greek mythology has so many deities with different backgrounds that make it an author's treat to write about. So thank you for the great idea and for your continued support!
In response to MegaRayquaza8121's review, to be entirely honest, in my opinion, you didn't miss out anything by not reading the Trials of Apollo. It's just a story that has been thrown together to capitalise on the fame of PJO and HoO. But I hope you liked the portrayal of the emperors and of Triumvirate Holdings in this story! Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the fitting punishment that Nero got!
In response to Arden2709's review, I am glad that you liked the argument between Percy and Athena. I wanted to bring in a more serious version of a lovers' quarrel into this story because I felt that the pairing was getting a bit too fairy-tale-y. So it seemed like a good way to inject some realism back into the story. Well your wait ends here as the Atlas Arc officially starts with this chapter! I hope you like it! Thank you for your continued support!
Finally, coming to Jubby1905's review, believe me, I am just as excited as you are for the Percy vs Atlas showdown. I am glad that the banter between demigods lightened the chapter a bit. With these longer chapters, I have realised that I can no longer focus exclusively on just one theme and I instead need to have a few subplots as well to give the chapter more depth and contrast. And I have gotten a largely positive response to that. I am stoked to hear that the fight between Percy and Athena did at least add some realism to their pairing. I felt like that would humanize their relationship a bit and allow the readers to connect with the characters better. Thank you for your continued support!
Warning – This chapter contains some mild violence after the second line break in the chapter(the first one is the one after the headnote). However, it's not excessively gory.
All credit for the char acters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
After an extensive search, Poseidon had finally managed to locate Percy. When Athena had frantically contacted Amphitrite a few minutes ago, informing Amphitrite that Percy had been hiding from for a few hours and had then explained what had happened, they had been very worried. And he was very ashamed of himself for getting lost in the war against Oceanus to such an extent that he had not even followed up with Percy after that fateful battle against Mnemosyne.
This incident had made him realise the had taken his son's immense mental fortitude for granted. His son had been suffering for the past few months and Poseidon hadn't even known about that. What hurt him even more was that Athena had chosen to task only Amphitrite with locating Percy rather than both of them. That just showcased how disconnected he had become from his second son's life.
"I know where Percy is. I will find him and bring him back." Poseidon loudly declared, startling both Athena as well as Amphitrite before disappearing in a blue mist.
As he had deduced, Poseidon found Percy on the cliff which overlooked the sea near the ruins of Troy. This was the place that Percy had gone to, during the years of the Trojan War, when he had wanted to recollect his emotions and establish inner peace.
Poseidon found his son standing over the cliff with a faraway look in his eyes. His sea green eyes shined with guilt and pain as he stared at the glistening water. He noticed that Percy had gone back to his preference of civilian clothes consisting of a tucked in teal blue shirt, khaki slacks and brown leather shoes. However, Poseidon could see that there were many bruises, mostly minor ones that would take some time to heal.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Percy calmly stated without changing his position as Poseidon walked towards Percy and stood next to him.
"Indeed. We made a serious effort to make sure this place remained the same way in your honour." Poseidon revealed as he remembered the days when he eagerly waited for Percy's reawakening.
"How did you manage to deal with me going into a state that was practically death in all but one way? I know I came back but until I did come back, it was always a question mark. Yet, you managed to deal with your grief in a very good way. You helped people and gave them hope. How did you deal with that grief?" Percy questioned, with just a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Son, I did not deal with it well at all, at least not initially. I was so consumed in my grief that the world was battered by storms for two years. It was hands down the worst experience of my life. In fact, my mental state deteriorated so much for a year or two after your sacrifice, that one day, in a rather painful hallucination, I went berserk and almost impaled Triton." Poseidon recounted with a pained expression on his face.
"What?! Really?" Percy asked with disbelief written all over his face as he abruptly turned to face Poseidon.
"Yes. That was when I realised that I had to do something else to deal with my grief. Your mother had taken charge of the family and in our phase of emotional rebuilding, she huddled the family together and the four of them drew comfort from each other. But I couldn't stand being close to your lifeless form without losing myself. So I decided to go on a decade long self-imposed exile to discover every part of the mortal world that was within our sphere of influence." Poseidon answered with a distant look in his eyes.
"Did it help?" Percy quietly asked.
"Most certainly. It gave me a new perspective, Percy. It gave me the opportunity to interact with mortals who had faced loss and the opportunity to learn from them. As immortals, the concept of loss is often very hard for us to digest. But for mortals, it is a part of life. I learnt from them and I spent my time doing what you always did – help others. And gradually, I healed enough until I could find the mental endurance required to wait for your resurgence." Poseidon calmly responded.
"Dad, I stopped being a hero a very long time back. Now I am no different than the monsters I kill." Percy admitted with a deep sigh.
"Son, a few ripples, no matter how powerful they are, can never change the direction of the sea currents. Similarly, a few mistakes will never overshadow your selfless heroics. You were, are and always will be the greatest hero to ever walk the Earth. And that's not an opinion. That's a fact." Poseidon strongly defended.
"A hero would not have done the things I did. Perhaps, in my second incarnation, I was a hero. But that Percy died along with Achilles. The destroyer who brings damnation took his place." Percy replied as he rested his steely gaze at the crescent moon in the sky.
"Percy, when will you understand that a hero is not meant to be perfect. A hero is meant to want to help others. It doesn't matter if you are only fighting to save your family. You are still putting your own well-being on the line for the sake of others. A hero doesn't need to be someone who protects the entire world. And besides, you have already done screen even that for a very long time. There is nothing wrong in now confining your scope of operation to your family." Poseidon justified and even though Percy couldn't dispute the logic, he couldn't accept it either. And some silence enveloped them for a few minutes.
"Athena was right. I have lost myself to rage like Achilles did. And ever since I was revived, I have been only thinking about how I have to enact my revenge against fate. I have taken Athena's immense patience for granted and I feel extremely disappointed in myself." Percy admitted with guilt evident in his voice.
"Then talk to her. Son, she has been searching for you frantically for the past few hours. It's very unfair on your part to simply cut her out like this. Percy, running away from your problems will never solve them. Nor will denying that you have a problem. Believe me, I say this through personal experience. She loves you with all her heart, Percy. And she is willing to go to any extent for you, just like you would for her. But she cannot help you if you don't want to take her help." Poseidon guided in a gentle yet firm way and the gears started to shift in Percy's head.
"Thanks dad. I needed that." Percy expressed his gratitude with a small smile.
"That's what family is there for. You are a very strong man, Percy. Undoubtedly the strongest of us all. But remember, there's nothing wrong in seeking help. I may be the strongest god in the world but even I wouldn't be able to rule the seas without the help of my family. Family only makes us stronger." Poseidon proudly proclaimed.
"Strongest god eh? Looks like someone's getting a little cocky." Percy stated with a teasing smile on his face.
"I am sorry, did you not get enough of a beating the last time we sparred? If that wasn't enough for you, I'll be glad to teach you some manners any day." Poseidon shot back with a challenging smirk.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, old man. You don't know when this young hotshot could dethrone you for the title." Percy playfully declared and the two of them shared a laugh together before Percy gave Poseidon one last nod and disappeared. He had a certain goddess of wisdom he wanted to talk to.
Boreas had been having a relatively peaceful day. A few hours ago, he had received the reports from Zethes and Calais about the locations which could be possible hide-outs of the Titans that were in the northeast and he had sent those reports to Olympus, specifically to Percy. And now he was sitting in his ice throne, drinking a glass of Nectar when a loud boom caught his attention.
Boreas immediately materialised his sword of ice and called for his twin sons, who were by his side in a few seconds. A moment later, a part of the roof collapsed down and Boreas found himself face to face with Atlas, the General of the Othryian Forces and the Titan of Strength and Endurance.
"Hello Boreas." Atlas coolly greeted, in a rough voice that filled the entire room, as he wiped the dust off his suit.
Boreas noticed that the General was as intimidating as he had been in the past. Standing at an impressive height of six and a half feet, he had a bulked up and very intimidating physique. He was a touch leaner than Ares, making him much faster but he also had far greater muscle density than anyone else.
His jet black hair was neatly slicked back into a ponytail and his grey eyes were the same colour as the cold stone walls of Mount Othrys. He had a very prominent jawline and his facial expression had that regal and simultaneously, ruthless edge to it. And he levelled his very intimidating and piercing gaze on Boreas.
Atlas wore a finely tailored brown silk suit over a white shirt with a shining black neck tie tied in a perfect full Windsor and he held a shining Celestial Bronze spear which had a long, rhombus shaped blade at one end and a weighted, spherical pommel at the other end to balance the unusually large spear tip. It was perfectly optimized for speed in combat as well as throwing prowess. And it was perfect for Atlas because he wielded only the spear to nullify his natural speed deficit.
Boreas knew that spear well. It had been especially forged for Atlas by the Elder Cyclopes before the Titans had thrown their elder siblings back into Tartarus. And it was one that Atlas had used to brutally destroy countless enemies.
"I assume that Khione provided with all the information you required to break into my palace." Boreas deduced, speaking in heavily accented English while projecting a calm exterior as he contacted Percy and Athena. But he got back no response.
"That girl is far too brilliant to be under the thumb of the gods. And don't even try to contact the gods, Boreas. Your own daughter is holding up a barrier that insulates us from the outside world in more ways than one." Atlas calmly revealed as he embedded his spear into the ground with the blade slicing through and sinking into the floor made of thick ice with ease.
"I see. So you are here to silence me." Boreas concluded and his remained completely unchanged.
"That would be the final verdict. But I will give you one chance to defect like your daughter and you will be spared of eternal torment in the Abyss." Atlas offered with a wide gesture of his hand. Zethes and Calais looked at their father anxiously but Boreas remained unperturbed.
"My daughter made the wrong decision, Atlas. The Titans will never win against the gods. You didn't win the first time even when you outnumbered the gods two to one. What makes you think that you can win it when they are much larger in number and have Perseus Diaboles on their side?" Boreas rebuffed Atlas' offer.
"Ah, I see. You are one of those who are enthralled by the supposed heroics of Diaboles. That fact alone is enough to warrant the destruction of your physical form." Atlas declared with a vengeful edge to his tone.
"No. I couldn't care less about the Perseus the Hero or Perseus the General. I trust him because he is a friend. I don't think he will beat you, Atlas. I know he will." Boreas announced with composed certainty.
"It's a pity, Boreas. You could have been spared but you decided to forfeit your own physical existence by making foolish statements." Atlas mocked in a condescending tone.
He then ripped his spear out of the ground as his eyes darkened to a volcanic onyx black. A second later, Boreas and his sons were covered in armours made of Stygian Ice, the same material as Boreas' sword. The armour also covered their wings, giving them more weapons. But to the shock of Zethes and Calais, Atlas didn't even bother to change into armour.
Calais being the more reckless one charged at Atlas with his jagged Celestial Bronze sword aimed at Atlas' head but the Titan of Strength and Endurance blocked it with his spear without any exertion before using all his strength to punch Calais' gut in the blink of an eye with enough force to cause a shockwave behind Calais' back and rupture all of the immortal demigod's internal organs.
With swift yet brutal efficiency, Atlas then brought his left elbow down on Calais' head and crushed it like a coconut, splattering Ichor everywhere and destroying Calais' physical form. Zethes seemed absolutely horrified by this display and even the normally inexpressive Boreas looked pained.
"Is this what passes for an immortal, these days? Pathetic." Atlas insulted with a sneer as he strolled towards Boreas.
Boreas immediately unleashed a blizzard and fired dozens of ice javelins at Atlas. But the General just slammed the pommel of his spear into the ground and instantly unleashed a blast of Titanic energy that not only nullified the blizzard but also sent Boreas and Zethes flying into the wall of the palace.
Then, faster than Zethes could react, Atlas aimed and threw his spear at the other son of Boreas and a second later, with deadly precision, his spear tore through Zethes' Stygian Ice armour and subsequently through his heart, immediately destroying his physical form.
Boreas growled in anger and used his great speed to zoom towards Atlas with a deadly slash but Atlas recalled his spear and defended against the slash before twisting it and using the pommel to block one of Boreas' armoured wings from hitting him.
He then tried to knee Boreas' midsection but the God of the North Wind used his other wing to protect himself. But the sheer force behind the attack broke Boreas' wing, causing the wind god to groan in pain. But he powered through the pain and fought Atlas in a clash of blades.
However, almost immediately, a few things became very clear to him. One - Atlas was only toying with him, the Titan wasn't even fighting him seriously and it seemed more like a warm-up for the General while it took everything on Boreas' part to just keep up. Two – Atlas had not recovered completely, yet.
Even though Boreas couldn't make out exactly how much time was left for the General to completely recover, he was sure that Atlas was not at his peak power. Even if he was just toying with him, Atlas shouldn't have taken this much time to defeat him yet it seemed that the General would have to fight a tad bit more seriously if he wanted to defeat the son of Eos. That was an important detail that Boreas could leave behind for the gods.
Boreas' assumptions proved to be right and Atlas eventually got too cocky, giving Boreas the opportunity to completely freeze the Titan into an ice statue. That gave Boreas a few seconds to leave behind a message on the ice statue of Athena, which was something Percy always admired when he visited him. But a few seconds was all Boreas got as the ice exploded off Atlas.
"That's not half bad." Atlas stated with a mildly impressed look on his face before he become semi-serious and that spelt Boreas' end.
The tables had flipped unbelievably in that short amount of time as even at full power, Boreas found that he was unable to even keep up with Atlas. Atlas kicked Boreas' other wing with enough speed and force to break the Stygian Ice armour and rip a part of the wing off, prompting Boreas to roar in pain.
He then embedded his spear into Boreas' torso, breaking through the Stygian Ice armour and his ribs in one brutal thrust, bringing Boreas to a standstill. Atlas then used the spear to suspend Boreas above him, still holding the spear and by extension Boreas in only one hand.
"Where is your friend Diaboles now? He has left you all alone, undefended against me." Atlas mocked in a patronizing way.
"Don't flatter yourself Atlas. The only reason Perseus is not here is because you are too afraid to face him head on. What else explains your decision to hide with your tail behind your legs for the past year. And you will stay hidden until you are at full power because you are afraid of Perseus Diaboles. You are afraid of the destroyer who brings damnation. And even if you do destroy my physical form now, I will be back after a few decades to a world that is still ruled by the gods." Boreas wheezed out some bold claims as he coughed to Ichor.
"I am taking my time, Boreas. I am waiting for the day when I reach the zenith of my power because I cannot wait to tear Diaboles apart. I have never hated anyone as much as I hate Diaboles. He shattered the heart of one of my daughters and has brainwashed and turned my youngest daughter against me. With the rest of the gods, it's just a question of victory for the Titans. But with Diaboles, I have a personal score to settle." Atlas darkly declared. And even Boreas was a bit worried when he saw that fire of revenge blaze in Atlas' eyes.
Atlas then cocked his fist back and swung it using all his strength to turn Boreas' head into pancake, destroying the physical form of the god of the North Wind. Atlas then threw the god's limp form away before using a handkerchief to wipe away the Ichor on his hands and spear. Finally, he disappeared in a flash of stone grey light. This would send a strong message to Diaboles.
Athena was anxiously pacing around in the garden of her palace, impatiently waiting for some clue from her uncle on Percy's whereabouts. She was extremely worried that she had pushed Percy past his breaking point because he had never isolated himself from her completely like this.
It had been so unlike her to lash out at Percy so powerfully. She knew that his mind had turned very volatile after being affected by Mnemosyne's powers. But she had become so afraid of him losing himself to his rage that for a moment, she had entirely forgotten about that. Her train of thought was interrupted when Percy materialised in front to her.
"Hey Athena." Percy greeted with a weak, nervous smile as he awkwardly stood in front of her.
For a moment, Athena just stared at him and didn't do anything else but then, she rushed towards him and crashed into him with a fiery kiss. Percy was initially a bit taken aback but soon, he responded with the same passion. Once they were completely out of breath, Athena rested her forehead against Percy's and the two of them stayed in that position for some time.
"I was so worried." Athena admitted in a voice that was hoarse with emotion.
"I know. I am so sorry for putting you through that. I was just so unbelievably guilty that I didn't know what to do. Please forgive me." Percy delivered a sincere apology.
"I should not have ambushed you like that, Percy. Even after knowing the side effect Mnemosyne's machinations had on your mind, I attacked you. I just couldn't bear to see you turn into the very thing you had sworn to destroy and I let my emotions get the better of me." Athena apologetically admitted. Percy took a seat on the marble bench near them and patted the space next to him, which Athena gladly occupied, before he responded.
"Your concern was not unjustified, Athena. You were absolutely right. Yes, Mnemosyne did disrupt the composed nature of my mind. But I have used that as an excuse for carrying out my personal vendetta. She may have amplified the turmoil within me but the bitter truth is that she could have only amplified what already existed. I have been irreparably changed after the death of Achilles. A part of me really died with him that day, Athena. He was like a son to me. I thought that I had achieved my revenge by sacrificing myself at the cost of taking out Tartarus but that's not true." Percy paused to keep a check on his emotions before continuing.
"I have realised that I didn't want revenge only against Tartarus. I wanted to rebel against the Fates. I wanted to show them that the Hero that they had created was capable of being the anti-thesis of what they wanted. And that manifested in the form of the vengeful rage that compelled me to violently destroy all those who were in my path." Percy guiltily confessed as he stared into the night sky.
"You never told me about this." Athena stated with some surprise.
She knew that for the past few months, Percy had been mainly driven by revenge. She knew that he was bitter because he felt that he had been manipulated by the Fates. But she had never thought that he was trying to oppose them, even partially. Because as angry as he was with them, he had always held a sort of grudging respect for them.
"To be honest, I had never admitted this to even myself. Rather, I had not bothered to introspect. On some subconscious level, what I wanted was revenge against the Fates. But since I still had morals left, I refused to oppose them head on. There was no merit in this tactic of showcasing extra brutality just to tell the Fates that they turned the Hero they created into the Villain because they refused to be partial, even once, for the sake of his emotional well-being." Percy answered with the barest hint of resigned bitterness.
"Percy, I know that you feel like you have been cheated. But the brutal truth is that the Fates were, are and will always be unwaveringly impartial. As harsh as this sounds, they were never going to make an exception for you. And while it may be a bitter pill to swallow for you, the world needs them exactly because they are impartial. So while your act of vengeance may annoy or at most, disappoint them, at the end of the day, it is going to affect you the most. This cycle must end, Percy. Rage, vengeance, brutality, ruthlessness, these have never led to anything constructive for anyone. So, be the better man and leave those negative emotions behind." Athena softly whispered as she caressed Percy's cheek, causing him to lean more into her hand. And the two of them stayed in that intimate position for a few minutes before Percy finally spoke up.
"I am a tired and broken man, Athena. I do not know what I am doing on the battlefield. I don't want to fight. Yet, I do because I am carrying out a phantom revenge. Even then, I don't have the physical or metaphysical capacity to fight at full power without fuelling myself with rage. And I don't have the mental stability required to dig in and convert that rage into determination. I keep telling myself that this is my last mission. But I am afraid that the sizeable deterioration of my own powers will lead to a scenario similar to what happened with Tartarus. I am starting to fear that this could be my last mission in more ways than one." Percy revealed his biggest fear in a hushed voice.
"Percy, are you implying what I think you are implying?" Athena asked with a shocked twinkle in her eyes.
"Yes, Athena. For the first time in my long life, I am absolutely terrified of turning into a lifeless shell of myself. It's not because I intrinsically fear death. Physical pain is an old friend of mine. What I fear is the traumatic effect such a situation will have on you. The traumatic effect it will have on everybody else. Dad was telling me how much he suffered when I went into a lifeless coma. And not only him, every member of our family, Atlantean and Olympian, suffered because of that incident. I have to be more selfish now. And I have to be more thoughtful of my own actions. If not for myself, I have to be selfish for the love of my life, for my loving parents, for my brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces. I have to live for them. I can't just throw myself into every single battle without a second thought. I can't save everybody now. I have to accept my own limits. And that means I cannot be the relentless combatant I once was." Percy accepted with a distraught expression on his face as he remembered the raw trauma in Athena's eyes when she had confronted him.
"You have every right to be selfish, Percy. You don't need to play the role of the protector of the world anymore. You have every right to be cautious about your own well-being because you are worried about jeopardizing the blissfully peaceful future that you have with me and the rest of our family." Athena wholeheartedly encouraged.
She couldn't be happier. She had achieved not one but two things today which she had been wanting for a long time. Firstly, Percy had seemed to have finally broken out of his web of vengeance and secondly, he was prioritizing their shared future over everything else.
"I cannot act irresponsibly either. You are right. If I engage in brutality, I will be punished for my actions. There is no doubt about that. I have to stop letting my anger and grief, both hangovers of my past, hold my future with you hostage. I absolutely refuse to let that happen. It already happened once. And it prevented me from proposing to you. It's acting as an impediment to our future again. But I won't let that happen." Percy determinedly declared and inadvertently revealed a secret that he had been holding in within himself for a very long time.
"You were about to propose?! When?! Where?!" Athena asked with shock and disbelief written all over her face, causing Percy to freeze and curse himself for the slip-up. However, before Percy could reply, Hermes materialised in front of them.
"Sorry for disturbing you two lovebirds. But Boreas' and his sons' physical forms have been destroyed after an ambush from the General. A Divine Council Meeting has been called to discuss our next course of action." Hermes delivered his message in frantic tone with a twinge of fear in his voice.
This revelation caused Percy's and Athena's eyebrows to shoot up in concern and all other thoughts took a backseat. The two of them however quickly recovered from this shocking bit of information and disappeared in a flash of grey light. This was an extremely worrying development.
As he sat in his throne in the Divine Throne Room, waiting for the arrival of the other gods, for the first time in many millennia, Zeus was feeling anxious. Even though he had defeated Atlas twice, and that too in consecutive clashes, over four millennia ago during the end of the First Titan War, he knew painfully well just how dangerous Atlas truly was at full power.
Of all the Titans, only Kronos himself was stronger and only Hyperion was almost as powerful as Atlas, although even the Titan of Light and the former Lord of the East came up short, albeit only marginally. But there was no doubt about the fact that Atlas was unmatched in strength and endurance. And in terms of brute physical force, stamina and durability, apart from the protogenoi, no one could match Atlas.
Zeus would never openly accept it but even he would be very hard pressed to best Atlas in combat because even though he was superior to Atlas in elemental attributes, he had only managed to defeat Atlas the first time, that too after an extreme struggle, because of the early punishing blows he had landed on Atlas with his newly acquired Master Bolt, due to the General's arrogance.
That arrogance had ultimately resulted in Zeus using all the power of his Master Bolt to not only strike Atlas with a rain of lightning but also collapse an entire mountain on him. And the second time, during the Siege of Othrys, Atlas had barely recovered from the grievous injuries that he had sustained in their previous battle, injuries that should have destroyed the physical form of any other god or Titan, so it had been a relatively easier for Zeus to defeat him. But even then, it hadn't been a walk in the park for him.
Of course, Zeus and his brothers had gotten stronger than before. Four millennia ago, during the Siege of Othrys, it had taken Poseidon's elemental advantage and the advantage of his Trident to defeat Hyperion, Atlas' injured form for Zeus to defeat him and it had taken nearly everything out of Hades to defeat Iapetus then. And then it had taken all three of them fighting together to defeat their father.
If that instance was repeated in this day and date, those fights would be significantly easier. And that was simply because the gods had gotten stronger while the Titans hadn't. But even then, Zeus knew that if he had a proper clash with a fully recovered Atlas, a clash not influenced by the element of surprise or prior injuries, he was as likely to lose as he was to win.
He was in fact a bit afraid of finding out the outcome of such a clash because he couldn't afford to be defeated and Hades would face the same situation. Poseidon would have a marginally better chance than the two of them but that was only marginally better which meant that even the smallest of factors could change the outcome.
Zeus and his brothers had the offensive advantage. They had a much more versatile offense than Atlas but what they didn't have was his infamous endurance. Due to his immense stamina, Atlas could fight for days with a noticeably lesser deterioration of power than them. His unmatched durability meant that he could tank more blows than them and these factors effectively neutralized their offensive advantage.
While on paper, the Big Three and Atlas were more or less on the same footing when it came to overall power, little details like Atlas' superior endurance meant that he had a lesser chance of making a mistake due to a pile-up of injuries and that would make a crucial difference in a fight. But not all hope was lost.
There was one person, a person who Zeus trusted as much as he trusted his own children, that had showed glimpses of such endurance. During the Gigantomachy, his nephew Perseus had not been compared to Atlas on multiple occasions without any basis.
The way Percy fought was mutedly similar to Atlas' style, at least before the fateful battle with Tartarus. Crucially, he was also the only one who was comparable to Atlas in endurance. Perhaps, at his full potential, his nephew would be just as durable and would be just marginally behind on stamina but, Percy would have a more versatile offensive arsenal than Atlas, evening out the odds. But there was another glaring problem in that as well.
At his current power ceiling, Percy was not on Atlas' level. He could at best put up the strongest challenge apart from the Big Three but he would ultimately fall short. His nephew was yet to unlock his entire potential. And the problems did not end there.
His nephew was not the same combatant that he had been three millennia ago. He was unable to fight at full power without imploding mentally and his use of a spear and shield had noticeably reduced the sheer relentlessness his offense once held.
There had been a faction of the minor gods who were a part of the Divine Council that had promoted the notion that Percy was the true challenge to the terror that was Atlas but Zeus would not let his broken nephew bite off more than what he could chew.
He owed that not only to Percy as an uncle but also to Athena as a father to protect his daughter's lover to the maximum extent. In fact, he would have sent Percy and Athena away to the old lands, to live on some secluded island in the Aegean sea, away from the prying and intruding eyes of other immortals if it hadn't been for the fact that they were fighting the Titans.
Zeus' train of thought however, was interrupted when a series of flashes signalled that the members of the Divine Council had materialised.
"As all of you would have gotten the message as to why we are meeting here today, I will not waste any time and get to the point. Now that their weapons suppliers have been killed and since their steady stream of ammunitions have stopped, the Titans are getting involved directly in this war." Zeus' voice boomed across the room as his face settled into a grim expression.
"Why was Boreas targeted first?" Morpheus questioned with his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Because he was responsible, in no small part, for the destruction of Triumvirate Holdings. The four winds were the ones who made it possible for the Divine Secret Service to repeatedly best three emperors. Without Boreas' intel on the Indianapolis and Seattle bases, Notus' on the Miami base and Caligula's fleet, Eurus' on the Boston one and Zephyrus' on the Los Angeles base, we would have gone into our missions blind. But thanks to them, we have stripped away something extremely crucial from the Othryian Forces – advanced ammunitions. And obviously, they aren't happy about that. So they went after the most accessible targets. And Boreas happened to be one of them." Percy replied in a measured voice.
However, his true emotions on the matter were given away when he sorrowfully sighed at the end. Boreas had been a very good friend. Percy had never had a talkative friendship with him but it was one of mutual respect. And Boreas had always understood his deep emotional turmoil and had given him the best Nectar he could brew without asking any questions.
"Doesn't that mean the other three wind gods are also in danger?" Helios asked with a concerned expression on his face. He was worried about his nephews.
"I have recalled them to Olympus. That was the first thing I did as soon as I found out what happened to Boreas. They will be safe here." Zeus reassured his cousin.
Zeus himself was slightly distraught about the destruction of Boreas' physical form. Yes, the wind god would be back in a few decades or a century at the worst but that was not a pleasant process to undergo. Zeus' priority was making sure none of his other lieutenants faced the same situation.
"Tell me General Perseus, are you going to ask us to wait once again and then get slaughtered like Boreas? We listened to you and did not conduct an all out assault against the Titans. Now, the Titans have gathered their forces and are upon us. We have lost the advantage of first strike." Kratos accused as he panicked at the thought of facing Atlas.
"Zip it, punk. My brother knows what he's doing. There's a reason why he is the General of the Divine Forces and you aren't." Ares warned in threatening voice and Kratos involuntarily backed into his seat at the sight of orange atomic fireballs that were Ares' eyes.
"Calm down, Kratos. I understand that you are worried. But Atlas and the Titan Lords are not upon us yet. In fact, I can wager that Atlas is not even at full power yet. He has not yet challenged one of us directly. Yes, he may have intervened in Percy's fight with Mnemosyne but he's still keeping an unusually low profile. Trust me Kratos, when he is at full power, we will know because he will come after us directly with an army of monsters and a group of Titans." Selene stated in a calm yet ominous manner, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"So, we are effectively sitting ducks until then." Nike concluded with a deep sigh.
"Au contraire, we have the luxury of waiting, Nike. Atlas will be back to full power sometime a little more than half a year later. And he will come after us with all his power then. I am sure he has a good plan, he is renowned as a master tactician after all but we still hold the advantage. We have already inflicted a crushing blow to them by destroying Triumvirate Holdings without facing any losses of our own. We have bought ourselves more time to train the Greek and Roman demigods, which Chiron and Lupa are doing very well. All we need to do is respond once they make their move rather than attack pre-emptively." Percy expounded with composed clarity in his voice.
"So once again, we will be playing the game of waiting?" Bia asked without hiding the displeasure in her tone.
"Yes. While this may not be the fastest way to end this war, it is the safest way. The last thing any of us want to see is demigods getting slaughtered like sheep." Percy answered in a calm yet firm way.
Not everyone agreed with him but they knew better than to argue with him. They had already had this discussion before and he had reacted rather furiously to any plan that endangered the demigods.
"General, I hope you realise that you cannot protect the demigods forever. If not now, eventually when the Titans gather all their forces, the demigods will have to fight." Hebe stated with a sombre expression on her face.
"I know. I also know that it will be impossible to save all of them. War doesn't work like that. But at the very least, I want to give them as much time as possible to be prepared for the battles that they will have to be a part of. We may not be able to save everyone but if our actions result in even one life being saved, we would have accomplished what we set out to achieve." Percy calmly replied in a low and deep voice as he stared at the murals in the room, particularly one depicting Achilles.
"Before we end this meeting, Perseus, I would like it if you take a look at Boreas' palace and see if you can find any messages Boreas may have left behind. And take Athena with you just in case there is a trap." Zeus ordered with a twinge of concern in his eyes.
Percy agreed it without a word. A moment later, he made eye contact with Athena and nodded his head at her, albeit a bit hesitantly as the two of them then disappeared in a blue mist. Soon, the rest of the gods also disappeared in their characteristic flashes of light, leaving Zeus to get back to his thoughts.
Even though it had already been a year and a half since the war had started, he knew the it would take a good chunk of time before it ended. He just hoped that the Fates would judge them to be the better side in this conflict.
Hey guys! Sorry about the later than usual update. I was out of town since I was traveling in the past week to meet an aunt of mine who I hadn't seen in almost two years because of the pandemic. And I really didn't want to start the Atlas Arc with a mediocre chapter. I do hope that this chapter makes up for the delay.
So this chapter has focused on two main plotlines. One is Percy's process of overcoming his rage in a bid to find more mental clarity and the other is Atlas' loud entry into the mainstream story. Of course, this chapter only offers a small glimpse into what this arc will produce. And I have also included some light fluff and an in chapter cliff hanger with Percy and Athena which I hope all of you liked.
I have also attempted to give some screen (book?) time to Zeus and Poseidon as they are important characters in this story. As excellently suggested by Shadowhunter2077, I have tried to give some focus on Zeus' experience in dealing with Atlas and I will give this some more prominence in this arc, especially when Percy finally fights Atlas. I have also given Boreas some time to shine along with giving some background about his dynamic with Percy.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!
