Chapter 30
Greetings viewers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to ShadowHunter2077's review, thank you for the great review! I am ecstatic to hear that you enjoyed the previous chapter so much! And I am also really glad that you liked this portrayal of Atlas. That's exactly what I wanted the readers to feel!
In response to Jubby1905's review, first of all, sorry for the delayed chapter, it just hit weeks of development hell and nothing I wrote seemed good enough. But I am very glad to hear that you liked the previous chapter so much! It makes me very sad too, you know. This trilogy is going to end pretty soon and this has been such a big part of my life for such a long time that it genuinely makes me emotional to think that the end is near. However, I am happy to announce that I have already started working on my next story, which is the DC crossover. So I will try to plug the gap as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank the guest reviewer for your support! Grazie a tutti!
I would like to thank skotos07 for your continued support! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the previous chapter!
In response to TheGracefulHuntress' review, I am stoked to hear that you enjoyed the previous chapter so much! Yes, I have portrayed Atlas as someone that can be reasoned with and in a way, that's exactly what led to this chapter going into development hell. I'm not on discord but your idea is really good. I think I will create a server. As you pointed out, it will be a great way to discuss my ideas and stories with you guys and will provide a good feedback mode. Thank you for your continued support and thank you for your idea!
In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently), I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the previous chapter and the fight between Percy and Atlas! I am glad that the inclusion of the demititans and the small moment between Jason and Reyna served as a good tension breaker. Exactly! The fight between Percy and Atlas was definitely inspired by Naruto and Sasuke's fight. Yes, this version of Calypso is highly deluded and you are right, Percy and Atlas do see a bit of themselves in each other. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Walter Ha's review, exactly, what I wanted to portray in the previous chapter was that even though Atlas and Percy were hell bent on killing each other, they still respected the other as individuals. This represents a unique angle to this fight since none of Percy's fights in this story have ever had him respect an enemy. And that I feel added a different sort of depth to their fight. I know, you've been here so long and your support and feedback has been invaluable along the way! And I hope to present even better stories to you in the future! So thank you for your continued support!
In response to Ryan Fowler's review, I am really thrilled to hear that you liked the previous chapter so much! As a writer that's all I want to hear. Thank you for lending me that saying and thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank Geurtg for your continued support!
I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support! Sorry about the prolonged delay! This chapter just hit a tidal wave of development hell.
I would like to thank MegaRayquaza8121 for your continued support! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed reading the previous chapter so much!
I would like to thank Arden2709 for your continued support! I like to think that the Percy vs Atlas battle was one of my best, if not best, piece of work and I am very happy to hear that you liked it so much!
I would like to thank fugy for your continued support!
I would like to thank Vosck for your continued support!
In response to zillaboi, Callum Runchman, datsvansh and RafeBjoin's reviews, sorry about that. I ended up uploading the 29th chapter of the previous story instead of this one! So apologies for that!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Atlas was exhausted. This was it. He had given it his all. And he had still failed. He tried to move his body, reach for his spear, do something to show that the fight was not over yet, but he failed. And finally, he accepted that he had unfortunately succumbed to the might of Perseus Diaboles. It was a bitter pill to swallow. But he was not a sore loser. He was proud warrior who would honourably accept defeat.
"Go ahead, finish it, Diaboles. You have defeated me fair and square. I gave it my all but I still failed. Looks like you truly are the destroyer who brings damnation." Atlas admitted defeat in a hoarse voice as his body refused to answer his demands.
He closed his eyes and awaited impending doom, mentally asking forgiveness from all his daughters, especially Calypso, for failing her. He was devastated that he would not get to see his eldest daughter genuinely smile once again but he was way past his limit. He was just a few millimetres away from losing his physical form. However, the blow he waited for never came.
"No." Percy refused as he slowly took a seat on a piece of stone near him.
He knew he could destroy Atlas' physical form right here if he wanted to. While the General was immobile and would pass out soon, Percy still had energy left to embed one of his swords into Atlas before keeling over. But he chose not to.
"I do not need your mercy. At least give me an honourable death. That is the least you can do for a fellow warrior." Atlas hissed, partially in pain and partially due to wounded pride.
"This is not mercy, Atlas. This is me empathizing with the pain and effort of a father. It is one man for whom his family means everything, showing respect to another man for whom his family means everything to him. It is a father understanding the motivations of another father. I am not showing you mercy, I am about to do the right thing." Percy answered in a calm yet pained voice.
Atlas' complaints died down when he heard that voice. He knew that voice very well. That was not the voice of a general or a hero. It was not the voice of an extremely powerful immortal either. It was the voice of a man who had lost a child.
"During this long, arduous fight, I have realised that in a way, we are not as different as either of us would like to believe. I have dedicated every conscious moment of my life towards the well-being of my family and you have done the same for your daughters. Of course, the paths we took are irreconcilably different but I can understand that you had to adapt to a crueller, harsher world ruled by Old King Cannibal." Percy paused to take a deep breath before continuing.
"I did not understand back then but now, I clearly see how much your daughters mean to you. And try as I might, I cannot bring myself to destroy the physical form of a father who did everything possible to make his eldest daughter happy and tried his best to reconcile with his youngest daughter. I probably would have done the same thing for Calypso if I was in your position. So don't make any false assumptions. I completely abhor the general in you. But I respect the father in you. And I will allow you the right to be tried fairly, by the Divine Council, rather than meting out my own punishment." Percy concluded as he leaned back, with his vision starting to blur a bit. A short silence enveloped the two of them for a few seconds as Atlas was left speechless by Percy's statement. But finally, he broke the silence.
"I know I am in no position to make any demands but I can safely say that Kronos will not win this war. Not as long as the gods have you. I am ready for any punishment but don't make my daughters suffer for my mistakes." Atlas requested, with fatherly concern and desperation laced into his voice, something that was very uncharacteristic of him.
"I will. I owe Calypso at least this much after wrecking her." Percy acquiesced, unhesitatingly. Atlas stared at him in disbelief and respect for a few more seconds before finally closing his eyes.
"You are a good man, Diaboles." Atlas complimented with a genuine smile on his face before the massive loss of Ichor got to him and he passed out.
Percy stared at him for a few seconds to make sure Atlas really was out and once he had confirmed that, he allowed the exhaustion to overtake him and promptly passed out. Percy had finally done it. He had defeated Atlas.
Calypso was experiencing a bout of utter shock and total disbelief. She could not believe what had just happened. Her father, the General of the Othryian Forces and the Titan of Strength and Endurance – Atlas, had just lost a battle. A battle against Perseus Diaboles.
She could not understand how this had happened. Even when Percy had shown up at a power level that was equal to her father's, she was still confident that her father would win. After all, there was a saying that if you had to bet on someone in an evenly matched one-on-one, it was Atlas. Her father couldn't lose.
"Shocked, aren't you? You thought Atlas would triumph, beat Percy within an inch of death and then you would swoop in, nursing him back to health and simultaneously distorting his memories and manipulating him into being your toy. But obviously, now all those machinations of yours have been shattered." Athena stated, in a calm yet steely voice as the evenly matched battle between the two female immortals stilled.
"Look around you, Calypso. The forces of Othrys have fallen. Atlas is defeated. Your sisters, the Hesperides, have been defeated by Artemis. The hunters and the Romans have almost wiped out your army of monsters. Perses deserted you as soon as Atlas lost. And the demititans who were supposed to lead the armies of Othrys are all dead. What are you fighting for?" Athena asked as she gestured towards the battlefield.
"I would rather have my physical form destroyed than be sentenced to solitary confinement in Ogygia once again." Calypso fiercely retorted as she took up a defensive position.
"No. Whatever happens, I can assure you that we will not be sending you to solitary confinement ever again. It is a very, very cruel punishment and despite my distaste for your actions, I will give you the opportunity to be tried fairly, along with the others. And whatever punishment befalls upon you, will be collectively enforced." Athena calmly offered once she heard Percy offering the same thing to Atlas.
"But that also means I will have to give up on my dream of being reunited with Percy. What will I do? Albeit briefly, he has been my only source of happiness in the past four millennia. I don't know how I can achieve it again without him." Calypso admitted in a helpless voice that was full of desperation.
"It's equivalent to coming out of a misguided addiction, Calypso. Even if you had succeeded, you wouldn't have been satisfied. Not only that, Percy's, mine and so many others' lives would have been ruined by your actions. What you want from Percy is not love, it's something far more toxic and corrupted. You can't force him to fall in love with you and give you happiness, your own mind will never be fully satisfied with that. You may have had a truly wonderful relationship with Percy three millennia ago which made both of you happy, I won't doubt that. But, you can't expect the same thing ever again from him. So it's time for you to let go, move on." Athena calmly advised.
This was it, this was her last calm outreach to Calypso. And despite residual feelings of fury towards the Titaness, the human part of Athena, the one that she had developed entirely because of Percy, still pitied the woman in front of her. It was like looking at a twisted, dark version of herself.
"I would take her offer if I were you. With your father defeated and this battle lost, you have no chance of ever getting your hands on Percy through dubious means. Even if, in the astronomically low chance that you slip away from us and join Kronos and the other Titans, you have no chance of getting to Percy because Old King Cannibal is the master of deception and will only use you to further his plans. So you can either prolong your suffering or you can surrender now and come to Olympus for your trial, along with your unconscious father and the rest of your sisters, except Zoe of course." Artemis coldly replied as she made her way towards Calypso and Athena.
"And how do I know the Olympians won't condemn us to an unjustifiably cruel sentence? The last time, even for a relatively minor offense of mine, you damned me to the very hell that caused me to go on this downward spiral. Who's to say you won't go one over and do something even worse this time?" Calypso questioned with distrust evident in her voice.
"Absolutely. In fact, if it were up to me, I would have damned the whole lot of you to horrors worse than even those in the Pit for what all of you did to my brother and my sister." Artemis harshly stated with barely restrained ferocity in her voice as her eyes fell on Percy's unconscious, beaten, bloody, broken form. Calypso was about to retort but Artemis cut her off.
"Fortunately for you though, that big lug over there who happens to my brother, also has a stupidly magnanimous heart. And he will most certainly oversee this trial and ensure that you get off with the lightest of punishments." Artemis stated with an exasperated sigh.
"I highly doubt whether Percy will do anything for me and my family after all we have put him through." Calypso stated with a healthy bit of disbelief and resignation in her voice.
"Well then, prepare to be surprised." Athena calmly stated. She knew what Percy's next actions would be. They would be exactly as what Artemis described.
"If what the two of you are saying is really true, then I am going to surrender, and ask my sisters to stand down as well. It is foolish of me to put my trust in you but what other choice do I have? I can't destroy my physical form now because I know an even greater punishment will be awaiting me when I reform. And it would be disastrous for my sisters. So I surrender." Calypso declared with a resigned sigh, with her voice cracking at the end as her armour and spear disappeared.
This was it. This was the end of all her dreams of a happy and content future. It was now a return back to her normal of misery, anguish and pain. She felt like she would break down any minute but controlled herself. She was a daughter of Atlas. Even in surrender, she would not bring disrepute to her father.
"Glad that you finally came to your senses. Now, I believe we have an appointment on Olympus." Athena coolly stated before snapping her fingers, as she disappeared with Calypso, Atlas and Percy.
Her job here was done. And she knew that Ares and Artemis, along with the rest of the Divine Forces would finish this battle very soon. Against all odds and despite entering this battle as the underdogs, the Divine Forces had emerged victorious.
Percy woke up with a familiar scent near him, a scent that was a fresh yet earthy mixture of lilac oriental lilies and of a freshly printed book. It was a scent that could only belong to Athena and when he finally opened his eyes, he saw her sitting in the chair next to his bed and sleeping with her head snuggled to his bandaged arm.
He marvelled at her timeless beauty, breathing it all in and he tried to move his other arm to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear but he groaned when pain shot up through his entire arm at the slightest of movements, inadvertently waking up Athena.
"Percy, you are finally awake! Thank Chaos! I was worried sick about you. You were unconscious for two full weeks." Athena stated with a sigh of relief as she gave him a light yet passionate peck on the lips.
"We won." Percy rasped out with a victorious smile on his face.
"We did. And you defeated Atlas. All on your own. You did it, Percy. You did what no one else has ever done. You defeated Atlas in a straight one-on-one fight. No surprise attacks. No drawbacks limiting him. You won this on pure power and skill. I am so proud of you." Athena stated with love shining in her eyes.
She didn't care about how powerful Percy was. She of course respected his strength. But she didn't love him because of that. But she knew just how important this was for Percy. She knew how much he needed to know that he was doing his best to protect his family. And after a very, very long time of three millennia, she finally saw that satisfaction and self-confidence returning to his eyes.
"Indeed, she is right, nephew. What you have done is beyond excellent." Zeus stated with pride shining in his eyes as he walked into the room.
"You were just incredible, Percy. The way you fought Atlas was just unbelievable. I have never seen someone with as much power and skill as that. And how in the name of Chaos were you able to continue after becoming basically a living zombie? You actually fought for a long time even after releasing basically a divine form equivalent of energy. You fought with every bone in your body broken in some way, every muscle torn from the sheer strain of fighting. I don't know whether to be in awe of your determination or chastise you for being so uncaring of your own health." Artemis ranted as she made her way towards the room.
"Ever the articulate one, aren't you, Arty?" Percy dryly stated.
"Don't call me Arty." Artemis stated with a huff of annoyance.
"Relax, I am going to be fine in a few days, a week at worst." Percy reassured but suddenly, he felt Athena shooting a death glare at him.
"Perseus Diaboles, I swear to Chaos, if you even move a muscle for another few weeks, I will tie you to this bed with Celestial Bronze chains." Athena firmly stated. Percy's eyes gained a mischievous twinkle and he was about to say something but Athena cut him off.
"And don't you dare try to crack a joke and laugh off your injuries. You have not taken this magnitude of damage since our fight with Tartarus and I most certainly do not want to even be reminded of what happened to you after that battle. You have won against Atlas. But you have completely blown past your limits to do so." Athena angrily chastised while shooting daggers at Percy.
"Listen to her Perce. You're in a worse state right now than you actually realise. Any other god or Titan, in your position, would most probably have lost their physical forms after suffering from the sort of damage you have suffered. Even Atlas is just hanging on to his physical form by a thread. It's only a testament to your unmatchable endurance that you have the energy to come back to consciousness a mere two weeks after suffering from such deadly injuries." Apollo revealed in what Percy dubbed his 'doctor' voice, as he entered the room and checked on Percy's vitals.
A moment later, Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triton and Aphrodite materialised in the room, along with Hestia, Hera, Demeter and Selene. And they were quickly followed by Ares, Hermes and surprisingly, even Hades. Poseidon and Amphitrite immediately made their way towards Percy to hug him but they were stopped by Apollo.
"Don't hug him. He's barely conscious and he's still littered with injuries. He can't even move. Even something as simple as a hug will aggravate his injuries." Apollo warned.
"Son, you really got into a big mess this time. Honestly, all of us have been so worried about you. First you just disappear in the middle of a night, while still recovering from injuries to pick up your swords. And then you become unconscious once again. Once you wake up, you decide it's a good idea to engage Atlas in a brutal, bloody battle until you can't even breathe easily anymore and go into a deep state of unconsciousness for two weeks. Have you made it your priority to make me chronically worried about you?" Poseidon admonished as he took a seat next to Percy.
"Would you guys just relax? I know I am in a pathetic state right now but it's not like this is the first time I have been this injured. Sure, this probably tops even the time I was thrown off Olympus by Sludge Face or the time when I got knocked into Ogygia like a comet by Ugly Al but this is definitely not worse than when we fought Tartarus. Man that fight sucked so much…." Percy rambled until he realised exactly what was making the Olympians so jittery and he abruptly stopped.
"Now do you realise why we were all so worried about you?" Selene asked with a somber sigh as she shook off images of seeing Percy's lifeless, broken form after the battle with Tartarus.
"I know that that is a particularly sore memory for all of you. And I know just how hurt you were from that. But I want all of you to calm down. I may be hurt but I am not going anywhere. Not now. And definitely not in the future. In fact, I am going to be stronger than ever in just a few weeks." Percy reassured all of them before reiterating his earlier statement with a cheeky smile.
"Months." Apollo sternly corrected.
"Hey! That's excessive. I'm not just hanging around for months. We may have won against Atlas but we're still in the middle of a war. I'm giving myself a few weeks tops before I start hunting our enemies down and turn them into sliced sashimi." Percy indignantly retorted. And that was when he realised he made a massive mistake in his choice of words.
"Percy dear." Athena called out to him in a sickly sweet voice, causing him to freeze before hesitantly looking at Athena.
"Yes, Athena?" Percy nervously looked at her. He knew that expression and voice really well.
"I am going to be very displeased with you if you don't adhere to Apollo's prescriptions to the letter. And I don't think you want that, do you?" Athena asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh of course not. The last thing I want to do is displease you." Percy hastily replied.
"Good, as long as we are in agreement." Athena stated with a sickly, sweet smile on her voice but Percy shuddered as he saw a demonic visage behind her.
"Huh, guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship." Poseidon whispered to Hestia with a small snort.
"You talk as if the one you have with Amphitrite is any different." Hestia shot back with a cheeky smile.
"That's not true." Poseidon defended but his point was invalidated a second later by Amphitrite.
"My dear, Poseidon, Percy and Triton are more stubborn than kelp when it comes to such matters. I'm telling you, keep him on a short leash or else he'll go end up hurting himself like Poseidon used to when he was younger. It took me centuries to tame this oaf next to me. Even Triton was a colossal hothead when he was younger." Amphitrite stated as she shot disapproving looks at Percy, Triton and Poseidon.
"Hey!" Percy, Triton and Poseidon simultaneously and indignantly retorted and all those in the room chuckled at the display. It didn't matter how powerful Percy got. He would always be the cheerful, unbelievably loyal man that all of them had grown incredibly attached to.
Two weeks later, the Olympian Council had gathered a meeting, with Percy, who was still covered in bandages, standing in the centre of the Throne Room as they all engaged in a discussion about Atlas, Calypso and the Hesperides' punishment. Athena was at his side, his arm was around her shoulder as she supported him.
"Nephew, I can understand and do support most of the points you are trying to convey. As suggested by you, the Hesperides can be granted a lighter punishment and be bound to their garden and just watch over the Golden Apples of Immortality, as they did for the past four millennia. The only difference would be that they would not be allowed to leave the garden." Hera agreed with and endorsed Percy's proposal.
"We can even overlook the fact that Calypso tried to manipulate you and the fact that she was an active co-perpetrator along with her father in trying to harm you and Athena by assuming responsibility for the mistakes we made three millennia ago. It's established at this point that all of us played a part in her downward spiral so we can also agree to giving her the same punishment as the Hesperides, so that she at least gets to be with her sisters." Hestia concurred and the Olympians nodded their head, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"It's more like a slap on the wrist. She deserves to suffer for what she put Percy and Athena through." Ares stated with a low growl as his eyes turned into fireballs.
"I share your thoughts, Ares. But, Percy and Athena were the ones most affected by this. So it's only fair that they get to decide Calypso's punishment." Aphrodite backed Percy's proposal, and he gave her a small smile which she gladly returned.
"But your final proposal is not just unfathomable, it's also impossible. Not to mention, after all the countless atrocities he has committed, you want to give Atlas the same punishment as his daughters and give him what is essentially a peaceful retirement? Do you forget that this is the man who tried his level best to uproot your entire life? That this is the man who is reason you received injuries of great magnitude. Injuries that you have not received in three millennia. This is the man who actively aided Old King Cannibal, not once but twice and tried to cause the downfall of Olympus. Everything else we can understand and even support, nephew. But even you have to realise how truly unfeasible this proposition is?" Hades asked as he intensely stared at Percy.
"Uncle, I understand that this sounds ludicrous. But you have to trust me. Somewhere along that death match with Atlas, I realised that Atlas wasn't fighting for Kronos, he himself admitted that he was fighting for his daughters and there was not an ounce of deceit in what he said. I realised that even if he is cruel as a man, most of his actions were motivated by his desire to protect his daughters. Of course, there were a million other right things he could have done. But it doesn't change the fact that he was in many ways, a victim of the cruel age of Titans. I realised that while the General had to die and be wiped out from existence forever, there was still some hope left for a father. Hope left for him to be reunited with his lost daughters. Daughters who dearly love and need him." Percy stated with a distant look in his eyes, as he reminisced about Achilles.
"Do you really believe that you can reform Atlas of all people? Surely, you are jesting, nephew." Zeus stated with disbelief evident on his face.
"Uncle, perhaps my ideals are misguided. Perhaps they can only exist in a utopian mindscape that is far from reality. But, I firmly believe that ideals are the instruments that allow us to be better versions of ourselves. And especially when we are in positions of power, choosing the right ideals becomes more important than ever. We may have all eternity in front of us and may be immortal but you never know when some old, salty protogenos decides to mess with your life. Forever is a very, very long period of time. It would be incredibly arrogant to assume that we would most certainly stay the same way for hundreds of millennia, given that our history is just four millennia old." Percy stated with a faraway look in his eyes, worrying all the Olympians present in the room. But he continued before any of them could say anything.
"My intention was not to scare you, I was just pointing out that despite our and Lady Ananke's best efforts, destiny sometimes takes on a path that changes the dynamic of the world, for better or for worse. Will the same set of immortals reign for the rest of eternity? History suggests that they most probably won't. That means that perhaps, we will not rule for all eternity. But the ideals we follow and impart while we are in power, allow us to leave the world in a better shape than when we got control of it." Percy paused to take a deep breath before continuing.
"Because, while we may not be truly immortal, the ideals of loyalty, courage, compassion and forgiveness most certainly are. They are as immortal as Lord Chaos himself. And I believe that there is no glory greater than in that of embodying these ideals." Percy paused to smile poignantly at them before concluding.
"After all, power and people come and go but ideals are forever. Today, we stand at the cusp of everlasting fame. By choosing to empathize with the loyalty and determination of a dedicated father and give him a chance to be a better man, we have the chance to prove that we are better than all those who preceded us. And by ascending to a higher level of morality, we have been given the fantastic opportunity of inspiring any who may come after us to strive to be as good as, or hopefully even better than us. " Percy concluded with outpouring passion.
For a moment, the entire council went silent as his explanation left them utterly speechless. He had displayed an amount of foresight and forethought that vastly eclipsed theirs. And the combination of that with his immense knowledge as well as humility seemingly opened an entirely new dimension to their consciences.
"Those Romans were right to dedicate an entire cult to you, you goddamn Gary Sue. It's like you inherited Lord Chaos' will and know all the secrets of the universe." Apollo grumbled with some awe shining through his voice, breaking the silence as a few other Olympians chuckled at his statement.
"I can assure you that I don't know any more about the future than any of you, but that's exactly my point. You never know what the future holds. Who knows? It's just as likely that we may be the ones to overcome all historical odds and rule for the rest of eternity as it is that we may be one day replaced. That's the thing. The past is mired in mistakes of our younger selves. And you never know if you will get a chance to do the morally right thing, from a position of power, in the future. So it is imperative that we do the right thing today, because, what we do have complete control over, is our present." Percy patiently answered with an optimistic smile on his face.
"Aunt Hestia, three millennia ago, do you remember what you said when the Council debated on whether Percy should be allowed to stay on Atlantis and be raised by the House of Poseidon? You told us that we were at the crossroads of destiny. And that we had the unique opportunity to be on the right side of history. At that point, most of us, including even me, unfortunately, thought that we were making a mistake. That we were playing a risky game and that it would backfire on us and only grudgingly consented to it. But that turned out to be the best decision we ever made." Athena passionately stated as she raised her head and locked her gaze with Percy's.
"I'm not talking about the fact that Percy saved the world twice and is on his way to do it a third time. I'm not taking about the fact that he became the greatest hero ever. I'm not talking about the fact that he ushered in the Great Peace, a utopia that was thought to be impossible to achieve. No. Those were his achievements. That day, when we made that fateful decision, all of us gained a pillar of support and an amazing figure who made us much better versions of ourselves." Athena stated as she stared into Percy's sea green pools before looking at the rest of the Olympians one by one.
"Whether as a nephew, as a son, as a friend, as a brother, as a lover, we all gained a person who was a paragon of virtue and someone all of us love dearly. He brought us out of our arrogant, bitter, isolated outer shells and taught us to be a family again. He taught us to love again. It was one small decision that we took that day. But its consequences are felt to this day." Athena declared as she shot a tender smile at Percy.
"Just like that day, we stand at the crossroads of destiny once again. And it's imperative that we choose right once again. To show that we have changed. And that we have changed for the better." Athena concluded as she softly squeezed Percy's arm that was on her shoulder.
"When you both put it like that, it does make a lot of sense. So now, as customary, let us take a vote to decide on this matter. All those in favour of Percy's proposals." Zeus stated as he called out for a vote, although he was already convinced. And unsurprisingly, all fourteen hands went up, causing wide smiles to break out on Percy's and Athena's faces.
"I would say that it's going to be a challenge convincing the rest of the members of the Divine Council but knowing you two, I am sure you two already have a plan to convince all of them." Hestia stated with a knowing smile and Percy and Athena simultaneously nodded back in response.
"Of course you two already have planned this out. Do you two share a common brain cell or something? I swear, sometimes both of you act like you are two aspects of the same person. It's like Lord Chaos planned in advance and created you two for each other." Hermes grumbled under his breath causing the council members to smile widely.
"Awwww, that sounds so sweet and I think it may actually be true. You two are so adorable together!" Aphrodite gushed, causing Percy and Athena to smile back at her.
"I'm telling you, when they have a kid, it's going to be cutest little angel in the whole world." Amphitrite brightly stated and everyone else nodded their head enthusiastically at that.
"Definitely. My grandchild is obviously going to be perfect. I'm going to take a sabbatical and leave the boring stuff to Triton and spend time with the little munchkin. It's going to love Grandpa Poseidon." Poseidon happily shared his plans.
"Don't be a cheater, Poseidon. Just because my grandkid will like me more than you, that doesn't mean you cheat and take time off of your duties." Zeus hotly argued.
"You're just saying that because you're way too stuck up to take time off. And my grandkid liking you more than me? Don't make me laugh, airhead. I'm going to be the fun grandpa and you'll be the grumpy one. Maybe, I'll teach the kid to call you Grumps." Poseidon shot back with a mischievous smile.
"Don't you dare, barnacle beard. You know what, when the kid is born, I will take a sabbatical too. Ares, Artemis, Apollo and Hermes can cover for me." Zeus challenged back.
"Yes, we have already discussed this. Both Zeus and I will stay with Percy and Athena on Olympus to help them with the baby. Divine toddlers can be very hard to handle. And especially since it's going to be so powerful, we don't want the newlyweds to have too much trouble. It's going to be good for us to take a more low profile, satisfying life for some time." Hera enthusiastically chipped in.
"On Olympus?! No way. Once Percy, Athena and the kid will stay on Atlantis with us. After all, Percy is second in line to the Atlantean throne and Athena is already a princess of the sea. Poseidon and I have already set up everything to help them settle into their married lives and with all their children." Amphitrite stated with a dreamy smile on her face as she thought about multiple adorable toddlers that were a combination of Percy's and Athena's best traits.
"Hey! That's unfair. I want to spend time with the kid. All of the kid's uncles and aunts will be here on Olympus. So it's only fair that they stay here." Aphrodite argued.
"Living with kelp head or air head is going to give the little pipsqueak a headache. And that's where I come in. I'll be the cool grand uncle who treats the kid like any mature adult would with a civilized tour of the Underworld." Hades proudly proclaimed. His statement however caused an argument to go off between the Big Three as they argued.
"I've personally knitted a whole set of sweaters for the baby. Don't want him catching a cold." Hestia chirped.
"The hunters and I will take a break and stay in Olympus. We can't miss Percy and Athena's wedding and the early stages of the baby's life. Those are the best." Artemis cooed in a way that was very uncharacteristic of her and the rest of the younger Olympians joined in the conversation to explain how they would pamper their nephew or niece.
In the meanwhile, Percy and Athena had only grown more and more embarrassed by the turn this conversation had taken. Athena was practically shining like gold and she had buried her face in his neck.
For an incredibly intimidating and powerful goddess, Athena definitely turned very timid and bashful when their family started gushing about the two of them and the future of their relationship. She had grown used to it over the years but lately, it had gone through the roof.
Percy himself whistled and looked at the ceiling as his family members discussed everything under the sun that was a part of his relationship with Athena. He shook his head but couldn't help but smile. He would gladly take an over excited family bubbling with joy and anticipation rather than a heartless, cruel one which couldn't care less. Both of them were brought out of their reverie by their family members.
"Geez. I don't know why you two are waiting around so much. Just get married by having a big fat wedding and give me a nephew and niece already. I wanna be an uncle" Hermes whined.
"Nephew and niece?!" Athena squeaked out in a voice she hated but one Percy found cute.
"Also, in case you forgot, we're sorta in the middle of a goddamn divine war. Not exactly the best time for getting married." Percy stated in a deadpan voice.
"Eh. It's just a bunch of snotty Titans. I'll beat all of them up if they try to spoil your wedding." Ares confidently reassured causing Percy and Athena to look at him in disbelief.
"Please. Let us just elope." Percy gave up as he whispered to Athena.
"We're not even engaged yet, we can't elope Percy." Athena corrected with an amused smile.
"Well, that's something I intend to fix soon." Percy stated with a confident smile and all of a sudden, Athena was left speechless as her heart started to pound like crazy.
"Are you being serious?" Athena asked in a soft voice as the chatter in the room suddenly stopped as everyone wanted to know what Olympus' supercouple were talking about.
"Of course I am." Percy responded with complete sincerity.
"And I'll correct a historical wrong and do what I wanted to do three millennia ago." Percy whispered in a voice that was only audible to Athena with a distant, pained look in his eyes. Before Athena could say something, Aphrodite suddenly squealed.
"This is amazing! You guys finally got engaged!" Aphrodite shrieked in delight, coming to her own conclusion of the outcome of Percy and Athen's conversation, and Percy's palm was introduced to his forehead as he was assaulted by a rapid barrage of questions. This was going to be a long night.
After that rather eventful Olympian Council meeting, a few weeks later, the entire Divine Council had gathered to enact Atlas', Calypso's and the Hesperides' punishments. Percy and Athena had already managed to convince the other members of the Divine Council in another meeting held a week ago by presenting their proposal in a very crafty manner and this meeting was just to officially sentence Atlas and his daughters.
The aforementioned individuals were in the centre of the room, bound by chains and on their knees. Most of the Hesperides and Calypso's injuries had healed but Atlas was still very injured and this position and the chains didn't do his recovery any favours.
"Atlas, Hesperides, Calypso, all of you are here today to be judged for your crimes against Olympus. And especially since the most affected of your vile actions was Perseus, he has been the one to come up with your punishment, after careful deliberation." Zeus stated with a booming voice. Atlas stoically stared back at Zeus before turning his attention towards Percy. He was glad that it was Diaboles deciding his punishment and not anybody else.
"You see, Atlas. I have lost a lot due to you and your daughters meddling in my life. And it has cost me a great deal of harm, emotionally as well as physically. So I think it's only fair that I repay the favour." Percy started in a cold tone.
"I don't care what you do to me but leave my daughters out of this. I was the one who convinced them to fight. Leave them alone. I'll take their punishments as well." Atlas argued back.
"No." Percy flatly refused.
"No? What do you mean no?" Atlas roared with anger and tried to stand up but his restraints pulled him back down to his knees.
"Since all of you inflicted damage on me together, it's only fair that all of you suffer together." Percy stated with a stony look on his face and Atlas gritted his teeth. He should have known. Perseus Diaboles was just like the rest of them.
"As punishment for your actions, I sentence you, as well as the other Hesperides and Calypso, to guard Mount Othrys for the rest of eternity and hold it for the gods. You all shall be bound in special invisible restraints crafted by Hephaestus to force you to fight any Titan or unfriendly immortal who tries to reform Othrys or steal the apples of Immortality. The restraints will also prevent you from attacking any god or from leaving Mount Othrys." Percy loudly announced but there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.
His announcement left Atlas shell-shocked. This didn't sound like a punishment at all. It sounded a lot more like a retirement plan. What confused him even more was that the other gods seemed to not just agree with Diaboles but also support his proposal.
"Don't look so shocked. As much as I despise you, I have to admit that you are a powerful individual. You are of more use to us guarding the Apples of Immortality than under the sky. Why waste such an effective soldier?" Percy stated with a condescending voice but Atlas could sense that it was only a façade.
"I accept. I lost to you fair and square. And this is my punishment. Fate has been far too cruel to me and has given me no other choice." Atlas accepted with resignation evident in his voice. Despite being very happy that he would get to be with his daughters, it still hurt his pride to take an opponent's mercy but he pushed aside that feeling. He would do whatever he had to do for the sake of his daughters.
"Good. If no one else has any questions, I will escort them myself to the Garden, along with the restraints." Percy declared before he, along with Atlas and his daughters disappeared in a blue mist.
A few hours later, as soon all the Hesperides, Calypso and Atlas were finally bound with their invisible restraints, Calypso and the Hesperides dispersed, unwilling to talk any further. But Atlas stayed back.
"Don't try anything funny, Atlas. And pass the message to your daughters. There is a RADAR in New Rome that will always keep an eye on you. And I get its feed directly. I can be across the world but all it will take is a snap of my fingers and all of you will be buried in restraints in a fraction of a second. And, for additional protection, there is a very powerful metaphysical barrier around this garden. So, you are practically cut off from the outside world. Your restraints will only allow you to fight if anyone who is not an ally of Olympus comes here. So any resistance or any attempt to escape is futile." Percy warned, with a hint of steel in his voice.
Just because he was doing right thing did not mean he hadn't taken any precautions. Atlas just nodded along. He knew that this was far better than what he had expected as punishment and he would definitely not try something stupid and make the plight of his daughters even worse.
"Why did you do this, Diaboles? You and I both know that even with all the constraints and caveats, this is very similar to the life I had before the First Titanomachy and is not a punishment at all." Atlas asked with a puzzled look. Rather than verbally responding, Percy took a deep breath and looked away, with a distant look appearing in his eyes.
"I know what it is like to be separated from your child, Atlas. I know that perhaps better than anyone else. Don't mistake me, I despise the general in you. But I cannot help but empathize with the father in you. You have done cruel, vicious things and in the past four millennia, you were punished for that. And I know how much your daughters adore you. So, in order to save the father, I had to kill the general. And that's exactly what I did." Percy calmly explained.
"Besides, Zoe told me about your distaste for Old King Cannibal and even though most others will disagree with me, I like to think you were a victim of circumstances. You certainly had many different morally correct paths in front of you but chose the easier, immoral option. And for that, you have paid dearly. But, when I saw how much you were willing to give up for your daughters, I realised that perhaps, there was some potential for a good man underneath the cruel exterior. I realised that it was important to break the vicious cycle of vengeance." Percy calmly answered as he looked at Atlas.
"You know, I have been around for twelve millennia. But, this is the first time someone has said that to me. Perhaps, in another life, a life where you ended up with Calypso, a life where the two of would have been members of the House of Atlas, you could have been the son I never had. I would have proudly passed down my mantle to you." Atlas stated with a faraway look in his eyes.
"Perhaps. It will be one of those big what-ifs of my life. But I am very happy where I am now. And I suggest that you find happiness in where you are now and just go with the flow. Who knows what you have ahead of you? It's never too late to do the right thing, Atlas. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to share a drink with a reformed version of yourself and the old Calypso." Percy stated with an optimistic smile on his face.
He believed that most people could change. And he was willing to let Atlas have the benefit of doubt. Besides, while this was enough to keep Atlas in line until the end of the Second Titanomachy, if the General ever decided to go berserk later on, Percy could always bring him back in line.
"I now understand why Zoe adores you so much." Atlas stated with respect shining in his eyes.
"Speaking of Zoe, she is going to be visiting you very often because I told the Divine Council she is the one who is best equipped to keep tabs on you." Percy stated with a small, knowing smile on his face and a wide smile broke out on Atlas' face.
"She is willing to give you a second chance, Atlas. Don't screw up this time." Percy calmly warned.
"I won't." Atlas solemnly promised. Percy nodded his head at Atlas and was about to leave but he was stopped Atlas.
"Don't let that slimy bastard Kronos beat you. It would make me look bad." Atlas stated with a small smirk.
"I don't need to make you look bad. You do that very well yourself." Percy shot back with a similar smirk before disappearing in a blue mist.
"Share a drink with a reformed man, huh? I'll hold you to that, Perseus." Atlas stated with a small smile. He looked forward to this new chapter of his life.
Hey guys! Sorry about the massive delay. This chapter just refused to come out the right way. Actually, I had this done three weeks ago but then I went through it and just completely disliked it. It was due to not knowing which direction to take with Atlas and the Hesperides and the original chapter had a completely different ending.
But then, I felt it would be wrong to just cut off Atlas' and the Hesperides' arcs so curtly and harshly. I mean, after all these chapters of showing Atlas as a sympathetic villain, I felt like I would be like pulling an uno reverse card if I didn't show the gods being the better people here and give Atlas a chance to reform. But I had no idea how to go about this and after multiple brainstorms and rewrites, I did this. And I hoped you liked it!
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed reading this chapter! Thank you for your continued support!
