Chapter 26
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to John's reviews, first of all, it's fantastic to have you back! It's been nearly two years since I started writing this trilogy and you have been here for almost just as long and your support has certainly been invaluable as well as highly motivating for me! And thank you for your kind words of support!
In response to answering where exactly Atlas stands compared to Percy and the Big Three, to put it into numbers and relative scaling, if Poseidon were a 10, I would say Zeus and Hades would be at 9.9 and Percy, in his current form, would be at 9.5, with Atlas slotting in with Zeus and Hades. So in a sense, the Big Three and Atlas can definitely defeat Percy, but not without going all out and only after a strong challenge. If Zeus, Atlas or Hades fight with one of the other two, the chances of victory would be fifty-fifty. If it is Poseidon and one of the three, the chances would be more 55-45, slightly more in Poseidon's favour but in no way assured. Actually, thanks for the fantastic question since this did give me a very good idea of finally being able to rank characters without it turning into DBZ. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to TheGracefulHuntress' review, I am sorry that you were not able to get chapter 25. I did take it down and re-upload it but since I took down my old author's note, I think all the chapters after it shifted backwards and left you unable to review in your actual account. Nonetheless, I am very glad that you are enjoying this story so much and I am very happy that you are liking the aftermath of Percy and Calypso's relationship. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you like this chapter as well!
In response to the guest reviewer,( the one who reviews frequently), I am thrilled that you liked the action involving Phorcys and Keto. It wasn't a big or elaborately constructed action sequence by any margin but I added it to give some more life to Phorcys and Keto's characters. Kym's punishment is definitely something that will be discussed in future chapters, especially when the focus shifts back to Atlantis and fight with Oceanus for a bit.
I am happy to hear that you liked the alternate reality discussion I included with Zoe, Aphrodite and Artemis. I felt that it was a nice and rather realistic way of showcasing the butterfly effect and it tied in rather neatly into the concept of a karmic flow of fate that I have adopted for this Alternate Universe. In particular, I really wanted to capture the bitter irony of how Zoe's current state was a direct result of Percy and Calypso's separation and I am glad that that shone through! Yes, the end of the Atlas Arc is near. It is the longest arc of this entire trilogy, and will probably stay so. I mean, with this chapter, it's already had ten chapters. So I would say there's only a few chapters left for it to end before we move on to the final arc of the trilogy. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Walter Ha's review, I am glad that you enjoyed the action in the previous chapter! I hope you'll like this chapter even more because there is plenty of Percy vs Atlas action in this one and it was a treat to write! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Callum Runchman's review, yes, Percy does need to get over his guilt and wow, you are a really, really observant reader. I guess I can't exactly answer your review without spoiling the story but I have an inkling as to what will be happening with Percy's swords is already an open secret. Nonetheless, I really do agree with all your points and I hope you like what is in store in the future chapters! Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank Bass for your continued support! I am really glad that you enjoying this story and I hope you like the future chapters even more!
In response to Ryan Fowler's review, I am glad that you felt that the previous chapter was well-rounded. In fact, I like to think that a highlight of this story, compared to the first two is that the chapters are more rounded. Of course, having an extra thousand, thousand-five hundred words helps in adding more genres into a chapter and also lets each chapter stand out on its own to a much better degree compared to the ones in my previous stories. And once again, I would like to offer my condolences. I know how hard it is to lose a loved one and I can only sympathize with your grief. Thank you for your continued support!
Finally, coming to tiwarikk120's review, I took down Ch 25 and re-uploaded it once again. It was probably not accessible first because I took down the old AN and all the chapters after that slid behind. But I hope you were able to open it after the repost. Thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Calypso had not woken up expecting to be attacked by Athena. And the act was so sudden that it had completely caught her off-guard. Athena had barged into the medical room where she was developing a fresh batch of medicine and had wordlessly unleashed a beam of grey energy that had blasted her dozens of feet away and through multiple concrete walls before she brought herself to a halt.
"That was very dishonourable. I am not surprised though. It's you after all." Calypso harshly spat out as she wiped the Ichor dripping from the edge of her mouth.
"So was trying to manipulate my boyfriend's mind for your own neurotic reasons when all he wanted to do was help you out. You do not deserve any honourable battles. No. All you are is an obstacle in our path to happiness." Athena coldly stated as she stalked towards Calypso.
This was the warrior goddess side of her. It was an undisputed fact that being involved with Percy had mellowed her out significantly and had made her less ruthlessly calculating and in fact, it had made her a very warm, compassionate and considerate person for those she considered family. But just like Percy still retained and let out his edgy, lethal side against foes, Athena had also retained this side of her which was cunning, cold, ruthlessly efficient and clinically lethal.
"Typical Olympians." Calypso bitterly laughed a she stood up, before continuing.
"First, you deprive me of my one source of happiness for the past four thousand years. Then, you steal him away, make him forget about me completely and now, turn me into the obstacle. Has it ever occurred to you that we are here today because of your brethren's unjustifiable hate for all of my kind?" Calypso asked with a hiss of anger. And Athena's eyes softened the slightest bit at that.
"You know, I sympathized with you for a very long time. Even though I knew how much Percy loved you once upon a time and while I was a bit jealous of how he always seemed to have only good memories of you, my heart went out for you. Especially once I lost Percy for three millennia, I could empathize with you. At least I knew that he would one day come back to me but I knew that you did not have that luxury. You certainly did not deserve that life that was full of anguish and separation." Athena calmly admitted, before her eyes hardened into cold daggers once again.
"But that did not give you the right to meddle with our lives, our relationship and especially not with my lover's mind when all he wanted to do was to help you. You need to move on. And the faster you realise that, the better it is for you. Because no matter how much you try, Percy will never choose you over me." Athena strongly warned. And this was enough to infuriate Calypso to hitherto unseen levels.
Instantly, she was enveloped by her stone grey armour, the same colour and pattern as that of her father's and her spear and shield materialised in her hands. Athena braced for a physical scuffle but was thoroughly shocked when she was instead forced to evade a pillar of fire that Calypso fired through her spear.
She was then pulled down and through the ground with a tendril that seemed to come out of a shadow. By the time Athena cut it off, Calypso was above her and brought down her spear on Athena. Athena blocked and parried with a thrust of her own and her spear hit the centre of Calypso's breastplate to knock her off her feet.
However, to Athena's complete shock, she was hit in the chest with a spear thrust from another Calypso and was sent barrelling into the wall. Athena immediately unleashed a radial blast of stormy grey energy and blew both the Calypsos of their feet and caused them to merge into one.
To her credit, Calypso recovered almost immediately and when Athena charged at her, for the second time that day, she was caught off-guard when Calypso blasted her with a time spell that slowed her down. In normal conditions, Athena was faster than Calypso but the time spell, while not as potent as Kronos', did slow her down enough for Calypso to engage her in a vicious duel of spears which lasted a few minutes.
Just as the spell started to wear down, Athena started to gain the upper hand, both due to her greater speed as well as superior skill and managed to land a few punishing blows on the Titaness. She finally broke through Calypso's guard and was about to impale her through the neck, only for Calypso to dissolve into petals of moonlace.
Calypso materialised above Athena and used another spell to launch a gigantic pillar of fire at Athena, who immediately protected her entire body behind Aegis. But the fire was still hot enough to cause some burns on her shield arm as it heated up her shield. Just when Athena was about to retaliate, the entire building collapsed on itself, on top of both of them and interrupting their battle.
Elsewhere, a few minutes earlier, things were not going entirely according to plan for Percy. The rest of the members of the assault were doing well in general as they were killing hordes of monsters. But he most certainly was not doing well in his fight with Atlas.
His uncle had not at all been kidding when he said that Atlas at full power was someone whom only the Big Three could fight on equal terms. He definitely understood why he was called the Terror of Olympus. While Atlas was not the strongest opponent Percy had faced, he was hands down the strongest opponent Percy had ever faced in single combat, definitely on par with his father and uncles. Only difference was that their strikes during spars did not have any killing intent while Atlas' most certainly did.
He was brought out of his thoughts, when Atlas tried to strike his side with the pommel of his spear, which he wielded like a club. Percy managed to block it with his shield, letting it absorb the impact but Atlas immediately rotated his spear horizontally and tried to slash Percy with its lethal rhomboid blade. Thankfully, Percy managed to deflect it at the last second with his own spear.
He then displayed his immense agility and immediately brought his greave-outfitted knee to block a kick from Atlas but was sent off-balance by doing so and that allowed Atlas to launch a roundhouse kick at his back with enough force to send him crashing out of the hall and into the harsh snowy cliff outside.
"I was the world's best close range combatant for millennia even before your father was born. I have honed in my ability with a specially forged spear in a way such that I intersperse slashes, stabs with devastating blunt force strikes from the pommel which doubles as a club and I was also the first one to incorporate freestyle martial arts into my offense. You think your offense is unpredictable? My entire body is a weapon. I can attack you from any direction with anything." Atlas boasted as he leisurely stalked towards Percy like a predator.
"Looks like someone has a superiority complex. Where was all this skill and finesse you speak about for the past four thousand years? Ahh, that's right. Under the weight of the sky. The place where the gods put you in after they defeated you, twice." Percy taunted with a smirk as he stood up, tall, proud and confident, as he tried to rile up Atlas.
"Do you really take me for a fool, Diaboles?" Atlas shot back in an unamused tone before continuing.
"Of course. A fool and much, much more." Percy replied in a mocking tone which Atlas chose to ignore.
"Your tactics will not work on me. Stalling a stronger opponent, trying to get your opponent riled up and more reckless and every other tactic you have at your disposal to try and get into my head, were all invented by me. Your surprise assault tactics that you have employed against enemies, your flanking movement in battle with standing armies, your endurance oriented approach to single combat, you may think that these are your strategic masterclasses, but many, many millennia before you were born, it was I who revolutionized battle tactics forever." Atlas proudly boasted.
"Then why are you wasting time talking to me and falling into my trap?" Percy asked in a calm voice, with a victorious smirk on his face.
"Because I know I am going to win. You may think you are stalling me, Diaboles. But the truth is I am toying with you. You have no chance of defeating me on your own. And the three weak goddesses you brought along are trapped fighting my daughters. And by the time even one of them comes to your rescue, you'll be skewered." Atlas proclaimed with a dark smirk on his face before he did something Percy had never seen anyone do.
Atlas slashed the air in front of him with his spear tip at a very high speed, slicing the blade through the air in the trajectory of a small arc. And a fraction of a second later, a metre long, crescent shaped blade of wind zoomed in on Percy at almost sonic speed. It was so unexpected that Percy only managed to cover his face with his shield.
The bottom third of the wind blade made contact with his armoured chest but even through his almost impenetrable armour, Percy felt enough of an impact to make him quietly hiss in pain. That almost felt like being slashed by Atlas himself.
"This is my favourite technique, Diaboles. It turns the very wind around me into a lethal weapon. And it can scythe through practically everything. It's unfortunate that it is possible only when I am at my peak physical strength. Or else I would have introduced you to it a long time ago." Atlas declared with a chilling laughter before jumping into action and shooting half a dozen wind blades at Percy in rapid succession.
Percy knew that there was no way to evade them so he did something else and unleashed a massive radial shockwave that not only dissipated the wind blades but also slammed Atlas back into the wall of Westover Hall. He then wasted no time and charged at Atlas at full speed.
Atlas blocked his spear thrust with his own spear and the shifted it to try and hit Percy with its pommel. Percy had anticipated this and blocked the attack with his shield before surprising Atlas by flipping over and slamming his ethereally glowing knee into the base of the Titan's neck, causing Atlas to fall to his knees, grunting in pain.
He followed that up by trying to slam Atlas' head with his shield, but Atlas freed his spear and blocked Percy's attack with his spear in the nick of time before slamming him in the back with its pommel. He wanted to slam Percy through the wall a few feet behind them but Percy managed to twist himself mid-air and instead used the wall to launch himself back at Atlas.
He slammed his shield into Atlas, unleashing a powerful shockwave as well as the recoil of the Titan's previous attack straight into Atlas' armoured torso. The attack was potent enough to cause some internal damage to Atlas as he was sent blasting away and towards the edge of the cliff.
However, Atlas managed to bring himself to a halt by embedding his spear into the ground and much to the surprise of a charging Percy, Atlas recovered fast enough to not only deflect a vertical slash from Percy but also kick Percy in the gut with enough force to send the Hero skidding backwards.
He followed that up by reversing his grip on his spear such that the pommel was away from him and he then zeroed in on Percy while the latter had just regained his footing. Atlas cocked his pommel back and then at the last moment, he swung it at Percy like a club with a horizontal two-handed strike, calling upon every bit of his monstrous, unmatchable physical strength.
Percy managed to block the blow with his shield and even though it absorbed a large amount of the impact, Percy felt the muscles and bones in his arm and shoulder experience significant stress, causing bruises and small muscle tears along his entire arm. The strike was so powerful that even though Percy had managed to block it with a shield that was supposed to absorb all kinetic energy, he was still sent careening through the air and back into the Hall where he tumbled to a halt.
For a short moment, his left arm felt completely numb, before he regained control of it. Immediately after that, he saw his shield actually vibrating with the amount of energy it had managed to absorb from Atlas' strike and making use of that, he hurled his shield at Atlas at breakneck speed.
Atlas had been on the receiving end of enough attacks from that shield to know that it would be a very painful blow. So, to avoid that, he slammed his pommel into the edge of the shield, hitting it like a baseball.
However, it did not have the effect he desired and the impact caused an extremely powerful and bright explosion that engulfed the entire floor, destroying all the walls. And a second later, the entire Hall collapsed on top of itself in an impact that caused a wide cloud of dust and debris to erupt into the air.
Artemis and Aphrodite's fight with the Hesperides had gone very successfully, with them almost winning, until the entire Hall collapsed on itself, burying all of them under dust and debris.
When Artemis fished herself out of the rubble, she saw Percy on his knees and coughing a few feet away from her, still very disoriented. But in her peripheral vision, Artemis saw Atlas charging towards Percy, both his hands near the blade of his spear and rotating the spear fast enough to make it look like a spinning wheel.
The pommel which was away from his hands, had a stone grey hue to it and Artemis knew what the consequences of that attack connecting would be, given that Atlas was aiming for Percy's unarmoured head. So, without thinking twice, Artemis rammed into Atlas' side, catching the Titan off-guard and barrelling him into a giant slab of concrete.
Atlas instinctively retaliated by bringing his pommel down on Artemis' head like a club and with a thunderous blow, he smashed her right into the ground with enough force to crater the ground beneath them and knock Artemis unconscious, as well as cause her to bleed copiously from the head. Even though her helmet had taken most of the impact, her skill still suffered a fracture, such was the sheer power behind that blow.
Atlas heard a deafening roar a moment later and he felt a spear impaling the base of his neck. A spear that belonged to Percy. But even through the immense pain, he noticed that Percy was not thinking straight and he used that to thrust his spear straight into Percy's torso with enough force to propel Percy through tonnes of concrete.
A fraction of a second later, the entire metaphysical barrier around the Hall collapsed under the force of Zeus' Master Bolt and the sky god himself materialised in front of Atlas in a sky blue armour that was a mix of traditional hoplite and modern armour, with sparks of electricity saturating the air around him.
"Atlas." Zeus spat out with contempt before shooting a monstrous bolt of lightning, the size of a freight train, at Atlas.
Atlas took a deep breath before charging at the beam of lightning and cleanly cutting it in half with his spear before trying to bisect Zeus. But Zeus stopped Atlas' spear with his own Master Bolt, halting the General's offense. But it was not long before Atlas broke through Zeus' guard, by virtue of his superior physical strength and body slammed Zeus into a fallen pillar.
Zeus retaliated by detonating a dome of electricity around himself, forcing Atlas to protect himself. Zeus then hurled his Master Bolt at Atlas, but the Titan countered it with the same move which he had used to knock out Artemis in a single shot.
The pommel of his spear met Zeus' Master Bolt and caused an explosion of lightning and grey energy that knocked everyone back down.
Aphrodite had not been idle in this time and had taken it upon herself to protect the unconscious demigods and hunters and guard Artemis' unconscious form while Athena engaged Calypso in a vicious clash of spears that caused sparks every time the two immortals clashed.
Percy meanwhile had gotten the edge on the two Hesperides and had successfully knocked out one of them with a painful chop at the edge of the neck with his shield, with the other Hesperide on her last ropes.
While Atlas was still fighting Zeus on equal footing, he knew that the odds were turning against them and communicated the same to his eldest daughter. Instantly, Calypso blasted Athena away with a very powerful pillar of fire and used her sorcery to cause a targeted meteor shower that begin to pound at the Olympians and Percy, allowing Atlas to assume his divine form and teleport himself and his daughters away, bringing an abrupt end to the battle and left the immortals to immediately tend to Artemis, the demigods and the hunters.
Percy was nervously pacing around in front of the intensive care room in Apollo's palace as he waited for some news about Artemis. While the others were getting treated, he had refused to do so until he was certain that Artemis was out of danger. And he had been joined by his uncle.
"Atlas is just as strong as he was at his speak. This is not good." Zeus quietly stated as he ran a hand through his long, greying hair.
"I experienced that first-hand. I mean, I did better than I expected but as soon as I fought him, I immediately knew I could not defeat him on my own. But to see him knock out Artemis in just one attack, granted that that attack was as powerful as your Master Bolt being hurled on someone, and then to see him fighting even you on level terms, it just feels ominous and uncomfortable." Percy confessed as he stared at the noticeable dents in his armour as well as the small chipping at the edge of his shield, where Atlas had hit it.
No one except Gaia or Tartarus had ever caused such blatantly visual damage to his armour or weapons. His first set of armour had only scratches until it was destroyed in the battle with Tartarus. And he thought his shield was indestructible. He hoped he wasn't imagining things but he felt that his current set of weapons just didn't have the durability possessed by his swords.
Maybe it was a virtue of the fact that the alloy of Stygian Iron and Celestial Bronze that they were made of just made them indestructible and one of a kind. And besides, Imperial Gold was a brittle material. But in the back of his mind, he knew that seconds could never be as good as firsts.
"I did warn you beforehand, didn't I? Atlas at full power on the loose is one of the few things that actually makes me feel anxious, nephew. I know you caught Atlas off-guard but as you have learnt, unlike before, from now on, even if you catch him off-guard again, it will be useless unless you have another Olympian with you." Zeus calmly declared.
"Uncle, I know that this did not work out exactly how it was supposed to but once your showed up, we had him at his ropes. If that battle had continued, we would have won. I have no doubt about that." Percy confidently stated.
"I am aware of that, Perseus. But since my involvement is essential in defeating Atlas, you lose the factor of stealth and surprise. I managed to get in today because the barrier Atlas had put up was not too powerful. But this strategy won't work next time. He will put up stronger barriers. And that will leave you to deal with him alone, or at best, do what you did today and take another one of the younger Olympians along with Athena and Artemis. And since it's a certainty that the other three will be held up by other Titans, for quite a while, that will leave you to face Atlas, on your own and for a sizeable period of time." Zeus stated with an intense gaze directed at Percy.
"Even if I can't win, I can still stall him long enough like I did today." Percy tried to counter, desperately hoping to avoid hearing what he dreaded.
"You are an extremely powerful individual, nephew. There is no doubt about that. In fact, apart from the protogenoi, I can think of only very, very few immortals who are actually more powerful than you and can beat you in single combat. But unfortunately, Atlas is one of them. So this ambush strategy will definitely not work anymore. Which means, the only way to defeat Atlas now, is the old-fashioned way – in a cataclysmic battle involving numerous immortals and huge armies." Zeus grimly stated with a deep sigh.
"But so many people will die, uncle. So many demigods. I am not stupidly naïve. I know that once there is a big battle, people, our people, will die. It's impossible to avoid deaths. It's a cruel but inevitable part of war. But since the day I was resurrected, my main focus has always been to try and contain this battle within immortals and avoid battles with armies of demigods. I have seen what war does to people, uncle. It turns men and women into monsters. It separates lovers, friends and siblings from each other and children from their parents, tearing apart families and leaving behind jarring scars. Forget demigods who are all members of our family, I don't want that happening to even mortals." Percy made his case as his eyes gained a faraway look as he relived the Siege of Troy.
"I am aware of the ravages of war, nephew. And while I have nothing but respect for your dedication towards protecting the demigods as much as possible, which you have done splendidly for the past two years, you have to realise that a titanic battle is inevitable. Believe me, I am willing to and will do almost anything to postpone that day but, you have to realise, for this to stay as a war of immortals, we need to have our physical forms. As harsh as this may sound, we cannot jeopardize the physical forms of the immortals on our side in order to delay a battle involving the demigods. Because if we fall, they most certainly will fall as well." Zeus countered, with a weary wisdom shining in his electric blue eyes.
"So we just throw the lives of demigods at Atlas?" Percy asked with his eyes narrowed.
"Of course not. We are not butchers like the Titans. We will do our level best to avoid such a confrontation. That I promise you, nephew. If possible and if the risks are not too high, we will deal with Atlas your way. Otherwise, we shall draw up our defences at the camps as well as Olympus and will fight Atlas and his army when they arrive at our doorsteps, whenever that happens." Zeus revealed his plan to Percy, calming the latter down.
"Thank you for understanding and giving me another chance, uncle. I will track Atlas and bring him down before his first offensive." Percy promised and was about to disappear but he was stopped by Athena.
"Perseus Diaboles, I swear to Chaos, if you disappear on your own and without getting your injuries treated first, I am going to track you down, tie you up and sedate you until you are healed." Athena warned from across the hall in a strict voice that was full of exasperation.
Her voice caused Percy to freeze, turn around and greet her nervously as she briskly walked towards him. He noticed that she had a few bandages under the elegant full length grey sleeveless dress that she was wearing.
"Ahh, there's my favourite and incomparably beautiful goddess of wisdom. I was just going to talk to you." Percy stated with a debonair smile on his face but it didn't seem to have any effect on Athena.
"Your charm won't work on me, Percy. And you are no use to anyone in this state. Aeolus and the remaining wind gods are already on the hunt for Atlas. Recover first. And then we'll think of what to do next time." Athena firmly stated as she crossed her arms. Percy was about to say something but Zeus interrupted him.
"Listen to her nephew. Always remember – happy wife equals happy life." Zeus quipped in a deep voice, trying to showcase his marital wisdom. His statement caused both Percy as well as Athena to go silent and stare at him.
"Uhh uncle, we aren't married, yet." Percy awkwardly mumbled.
"Not officially. But you two live together, spend most of your time with each other, you are practically co-parenting those six demigods, have integrated yourselves in each other's families to a point where you are already a member of the family, you also have mine and your parents' blessings and have experienced almost everything with each other along with having been romantically involved for an extremely long period of time. The only thing missing is a ring and a grandiose wedding." Zeus listed off. And that was when Hera decided to make her entrance.
"And what a wedding it will be! My sisters, Amphitrite, Selene, Aphrodite and I have been planning this wedding ever since we saw the two of your dancing in Thetis' wedding! It's going to be a fantastic, week long event that's going to incorporate Ancient Greek, Roman as well as modern Western traditions in the best way possible. Of course, this is only the bare minimum for the wedding of Olympus' power couple and we have plenty of room for addition." Hera declared, ready to burst with excitement.
"Wow." Percy stated with his mouth slightly agape as he slowly slid his hand into Athena's. While he knew that their family was supportive of their relationship, he most certainly did not expect this.
"And while we are at this subject, I expect to see a grandchild in a few years, after you get married. I can't wait to hold and play with the little munchkin. I even have small t-shirt which says Grandpa Zeus Is The Best." Zeus stated with a big smile on his face.
"Dad!" Athena admonished, with some healthy golden dusting on her cheeks, as she squirmed a bit and tightened her hold on Percy's hand.
She knew that Percy was the one she would spend the rest of eternity with. There was no doubt about that. And they both desired to get married, settle down and start a family of their own. But it had always been something that they saw as a pretty long time down the line. But all of a sudden, hearing her father and stepmother talk about this, it felt a bit too real.
"You should be happy that unlike good old Barnacle Beard, I didn't build an amusement park next to the royal palace for my future grandchildren. On second thought, I maybe should do that. Can't let Kelp Head outdo me." Zeus mused to himself, dropping another bomb on Percy and Athena.
"What?!" Percy asked in shock as his mind went blank.
When he had asked his father about the amusement park, his old man had just waved him off telling him it was for the children of Atlantis. Now Percy understood what that really meant. Percy and Athena were stuck in a trance and just barely registered Zeus and Hera's words as they tried to process the abundance of information that had been dumped on them.
"Umm, I need to go and get treated. Bye." Percy stuttered as he abruptly started to walk away.
"And I, uh, I need to go behind Percy and make sure he doesn't go anywhere." Athena fumbled with words in a way that was so unlike her usual, eloquent self.
"I know you can't keep your hands off each other but I hope you two behave around here. Don't want any sounds waking up those around you." Hera stated with a teasing smirk before Athena left and the wisdom goddess' cheeks turned the colour of the bright golden walls around them as she hurried away.
"Nephew, daughter." Zeus called out once the two of them were a few feet away and both of them turned, fidgeting with their fingers as they looked at Zeus.
"You both are going the wrong way. Asclepius' room is that way." Zeus pointed with a poker face.
The two of them sheepishly mumbled a thanks before hurrying towards the room, desperate to get away from Zeus and Hera. As soon as they were out of earshot, Zeus dropped the stony façade and laughed heartily. And he was joined by Hera a few seconds later.
"I was expecting something like this but not to this magnitude. They basically turned into mortal teenagers for the span of that conversation." Zeus jovially stated once they had stopped laughing.
"It was high time that they heard this from someone. As much as they love each other, they have this annoying habit of dancing around each other when it comes to such matters. I mean, it was clear as day that they liked each other since the end of the Giganotomachy yet it took them more than a decade to admit things and actually get involved in a romantic relationship. I know both of them have them have been thinking about this for quite some time. This will at least prompt them to have the conversation instead of kicking the can down the road." Hera stated with a small huff of annoyance as she took a seat next to Zeus.
"You are right. I have waited long enough for an immortal grandchild." Zeus stated with a fond smile on his face and wrapped an arm around Hera and for a moment, both of them got lost in a vision of the future, the war temporarily taking a backseat in minds.
Jason stoically sat on the couch in the room where Reyna was recuperating. It had been a day since the unsuccessful assault on Westover Hall and while it had seemingly gone their way initially, it had all come crashing down, quite literally.
When the Hall collapsed on itself, it had caught out all the demigods and hunters inside and while it had destroyed the remaining monsters in the Hall, it had also resulted in all the Hunters and demigods suffering from injuries.
For most of them it had been relatively mild, only a few broken bones, non-lethal wounds or muscle tears, nothing that couldn't be completely healed by Apollo's healing, some Nectar and Ambrosia, and a day or two of rest.
Among the six demigods, most of them had gotten off lightly. Unfortunately, Reyna had been in the ground floor of the Hall when it collapsed and she ended up sustaining rather serious injuries. She had suffered from a severe concussion, had broken quite a few bones and had also suffered from a few internal injuries. And while she had been treated immediately and most of her most serious injuries had been healed to a certain extent, it still pained Jason to see her unconscious and wrapped in casts and bandages.
At this point, both of them knew that they had feelings for each other. They also knew that they were long past being just close friends. Both of them knew that they wanted something more and cared for each other on a much deeper level. And yet, despite coming to this realisation over a year ago, Jason and Reyna could never bring themselves to have that conversation.
He did not know what held them back from doing that. It was maybe the fact that with every new mission, their job became more and more dangerous. Her current state was proof of that. And while any sort of romantic involvement would be definitely be wonderful, any unforeseen events, would most certainly result in hearts being broken. He was brought out of his thoughtful, gazing reverie when Percy walked into the room, with a plate of a big serving of food in his hand.
"Hey kid. Apollo told me you have been here the entire day. And I figured you haven't eaten anything. So eat." Percy greeted and handed the plate of food to Jason before taking a seat next to him. There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as Jason wolfed down the food but it was broken by Percy.
"Jase, what are you doing?" Percy intensely asked as he stared at Jason with a mix of sympathy, exasperation and the smallest bit of anguish.
"What?" Jason asked back, totally confused. Although, he did have an inkling as to what Percy was referring to.
"You know exactly what I am about, Jason. You and Reyna clearly feel very deeply for each other. I am no Aphrodite, but I know the foundation of love when I see it. Hell, everyone sees it. So why are you both dilly-dallying? Why simply gaze at each other longingly? Why don't you actually do something about it instead of just dancing around each other? I definitely know that both of you have enough maturity and emotional stability to commit to a serious relationship. So I know that's not holding you back. So tell me, what is holding you both back?" Percy asked, in a gentle tone as he tried to coax an answer out of Jason.
"We haven't done anything about it because we never know when our last moment together will be. You know it yourself, Perce, our job is an extremely dangerous one. There is no way we can promise each other that we will always be there for each other. Even if we start things up, what if one of us doesn't return from the next mission. It would break the other person's heart and kill all hope of them moving on. We can't do that to each other." Jason admitted in a subdued, frail voice and the resigned maturity behind his words caused Percy to sigh deeply, breathing out a fine, blue mist in the process.
Percy pinched the bridge of his nose in deep sorrow. This was not what a sixteen year old was supposed to say. Jason should have been worried about the latest movie that was a sensation. He should have been worrying about his looks or was supposed to throw a silly temper tantrum about some petty thing and was supposed to act like a teenager. He was not supposed to speak with such resignation and hollowed maturity, both of which belonged to war-hardened veterans.
He was not supposed to think twice about starting a relationship because he was afraid he would not survive to see it through. It was at that moment that Percy realised how messed up the world was. And how it was always more unfair to those who were good people.
"Oh Jase." Percy somberly stated before pulling Jason into a firm, sideways hug. Jason did not know what prompted Percy to hug him like that but he gladly returned the hug. After a few seconds, Percy pulled away and addressed him.
"Kid, I am very sorry for dragging the two of you into this mess. It is heart-breaking and utterly unfair to put this much pressure on the shoulders of mere teenagers. The six of you have been so calm, collected and efficient that I thought you didn't need someone older to be there for you, emotionally. And I am so sorry that I took your immense mental fortitude for granted and that I wasn't here to listen to you and try and solve your problems before." Percy apologized with guilt shining in his sea green eyes.
"It's not your fault, Percy. You don't need to feel guilty at all. You asked us repeatedly whether we wanted to do this and were completely transparent us on the dangers of this job. We are the ones who chose it. And both Reyna and I do find a lot of pride and motivation from it. It makes us feel good about ourselves, knowing that we are doing something for the betterment of the world. The only thing is that its dangerous nature makes it very hard to pursue any romantic relationships." Jason quickly responded.
"It doesn't need to make it harder, Jason. True, the danger of loss always looms above and there could be emotional devastation if Chaos forbid, something happens to either one of you. But there is a bigger chance that both of you will walk out from this war alive and unburdened by this accursed war. So take that as your motivation. Rather than fighting your own emotions and staying apart, bracing yourselves for something bad, go with the flow, discover and comfort each other and give each other a reason to survive." Percy calmly advised.
"But what if-" Jason started but he was cut off by Percy.
"Life is not stable enough for you to live in what ifs, Jase. Trust me, I say this from personal experience. Sometimes, getting too involved with someone may lead you to numbing lows, but is also something that leads to euphoric highs. Building a wall around yourself, in fear of hurting someone or getting hurt, will only drive you down a road of apathy and loneliness. And you do not want to go down that road because I have seen people who have tread it and I have to tell you, it's not pretty. Nothing good ever comes from bottling your emotions." Percy wisely stated.
"So what should I do now?" Jason asked, with uncertainty written all over his face.
"What do you want to do, Jason? Ask yourself that question and answer it sincerely." Percy answered as he leaned back into his chair and a bottle of Nectar materialised in his hands as he took a deep swig, giving Jason time to formulate and articulate his thoughts.
"I want something more from my relationship with Reyna. I want to talk about us. But are we too young to be thinking about something that's serious." Jason tepidly asked, he truly had no idea on these matters.
"You are not just any other teenagers. You both have maturity and experience that are far greater than what others have at your age. And besides, whatever the age, any relationship you enter has to be a serious one, casual flings or comfort pacts that supposedly have no strings attached are all dead ends and a waste of time. Kid, you two have an undeniable spark. You have the tots for each other, give it a try and give it your all. I'm sure it will make both of you very happy." Percy concluded with a small, fond smile on his face causing a similar smile to break out on Jason's face.
"Wow, I never thought that I would be getting advice on how to to navigate my love life from Salvator Orbis himself. It's weird since I grew up listening to tales of your valour and how you were the greatest general and hero of all time. But it's also kind of awesome because you aren't as uptight as what we were taught." Jason stated with a bit of excitement in his voice.
"Ughh, I blame you Romans for that. Had to go and turn me into some sort of messiah figure instead of the chill dude I am. I mean I am extremely proud of the Romans, but I definitely like the Greeks more." Percy grumbled and Jason couldn't help but chuckle.
If there was one thing that they had learnt about Percy, it was that he absolutely hated politics and bureaucracy with an intense passion. He wasn't bad at it though. On the contrary, Jason knew that Percy could be a very shrewd politician when he wanted to be. He was fantastic at diplomacy and had his way with words. It's just that he hated doing it. And unfortunately, New Rome had a lot more politics than New Greece.
"We all know about your strong dislike for politics, Percy." Jason said with a snicker.
"I'm sorry, not all of us are born with a desire to wear bedsheets and bore people to death with pointless, dramatic monologues." Percy sarcastically shot back.
"Ouch Percy, you do realise that I am a Roman too." Jason stated with a chuckle.
"Eh you're better than those stuck up young adults with attention issues. I really do not like the politics of New Rome. And I loathe the politics of Olympus and Atlantis even more. Granted that I also don't like being a general all that much, I can at least say that I am doing something to protect people. Politicians only hide, act and connive in lieu of their own personal interests." Percy ranted and Jason had to stifle a chuckle. This never got old. Percy noticed that and stopped before chuckling himself. A comfortable silence permeated the atmosphere before Percy broke it once again, with a serious expression on his face.
"Just promise me one thing, kid. Promise me that when you do pour your heart out to her, don't make a promise that you cannot keep. I know this sounds harsh but I know from personal experience that when you make a promise that you cannot keep, it will cause immense devastation to the other person." Percy paused to breathe out a puff of icy, blue mist before continuing.
"I promised Calypso that I would never leave her side, that I would not put her through the same anguish that countless heroes before me did. But I ended inflicting far more pain to her psyche than all of them combined. Then, I promised Athena that I would always be there for her, that I would always be there with her. But I broke that one as well. For three thousand years, I left her alone while she waded through unimaginable pain, holding on to only a distant hope. If I had not made all those promises that I could not keep, perhaps they would have found a way to move on and be happier." Percy stated with an expression of deep sorrow on his face as he finished the bottle of Nectar. And at that moment, Jason could see all the emotional trauma he had gone through in his eyes.
"I promise I won't, Percy." Jason promised with full sincerity and Percy turned and stared at him for a few moments before a small smile broke out on his face.
"You're a good man, Jason. Certainly a better one than me. And to prevent you from ever going down the same path as I did, I promise that I will do my best to ensure that you have the future you deserve. And this is a promise that I assure you that I will keep." Percy stated in a voice that was thick with emotion. He knew what he had to do. He refused to allow these kids to go through the same pain as him. It was time to make them partially immortal.
Hey guys! I'm happy that I managed to finish this chapter a few days earlier than expected and I definitely loved writing this chapter!
Compared to the previous chapters, which had predominantly more serious overtones, I felt like it was time for a break and I thus dedicated a good chunk of the middle third of it to a humourous piece. It was also the first time I have tried to write such a long humourous bit so I would love to know what all of you thought about it!
The action in this chapter was the first proper and dedicated Percy vs Atlas action and I really enjoyed writing it. And it was also really nice dealing with Jason and Reyna's relationship and providing a little character development to both of them. And it also helped in portraying Percy as a wise, supportive elder brother figure.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed reading this chapter! Have a fantastic day!
