DISCLAIMER: All the characters except the OC's, belong to Rick Riordan.
Chapter 3: I visit my roots to get a weapon.
Percy collapsed on the lakeshore. His limbs cried and his chest heaved with effort as he stared at the night sky. He had spent the last few hours submerged in the lake after a gruesome fight with a rouge Cyclopes, and so any wounds he'd gotten from his fight had by now been completely healed.
Sadly, the water couldn't heal the exhaustion that came with using his skills. He'd be pretty much unstoppable if that were the case though, so he didn't agonize over it too much. All waters help him in some way. The only difference was how long it'd last. Pure water loses its effect as soon as he loses contact with it.
The only remedy he'd ever discovered for the fatigue that came with exhausting his abilities was a good meal and a good nap.
But there were so many memorable events that happened in the year that he couldn't help the grin on his face, even though his whole body begged to differ.
He craned his neck to see Elaine leisurely sitting at the edge of the lake beside him, her feet dangling in the water. She casually raised her hand and snapped her fingers. A ripple spread through the entire lake.
Percy felt a case of Deja-vu.
He watched in amusement and fascination as a girl his age who stood at the edge on the other side of the lake freeze. She robotically took a step back, made her way to the bin at the stall, and dumped her waste into it.
"How did you do that?" he could barely hide his amazement.
"Mist manipulation." she said cryptically. "How else do you think I keep away the mortals from dumping waste in my lake? I also use it while saving someone from drowning. After all, it wouldn't do good if mortals remember a girl from the lake saving them. Most nature spirits are proficient in the art of manipulating mist, to blend in with the world. Some better than the others."
"So, is the Mist thingy the same that creates illusions covering the monsters around us?"
"Yes. Well, the Mist is the veil that obscures the mortal vision. You will mostly see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but mortals will interpret things quite differently. Their minds are very fragile. They fit the things into their version of reality. Many interpret things differently depending on how much their minds can handle."
Percy smacked his lips. No wonder none had seen any mythical creatures all these years and treated him as a nut job; they've been obscured from mortals. Then he remembered his mom. She could see them just fine, though she acted like she doesn't.
"But my mom's mortal," he said hesitantly, wondering . "Is there something more to the mist, like a weak link or weaker timeframe?"
"Ah, yes. You see Perce, a few mortals were born with the ability to see through the mist. The veil is incapable of obscuring their vision. They're the exceptions in the system. Your mother is what they call a clear-sighted mortal. It could also be your father was drawn to her because of this. And the children below eight were always able to see through the mist. Their minds are very creative and the mist wouldn't be able to fool them that easily. They tend to forget everything in time."
The talk about the mist made him think about the girl Thalia, whom he had met in the alleyway, and her offer to join her group. He had been conflicted to choose his path then. He still remembered the information she'd shared in exchange for his technique.
oOo
After she failed in memory alteration, Thalia had scrutinized him for a few moments before answering his earlier question.
"Monster can be killed with weapons made of Celestial bronze. Their essence returns to Tartarus, where they reform slowly and crawl back to the mortal world. They're ageless and will not remain dead once killed. They'll keep on coming."
She observed him carefully, no doubt finding something suspicious about his background.
"My name's Percy Jackson, but I don't know who my father is. All my mother told me was that he was a Greek god." he covered for his lack of knowledge and fear. He also didn't want to give away his identity to one of his uncle's daughters. Who knows...
"And what was that finger-snapping thing you tried on me?" he was rather interested in the illusion technique.
"Oh, that was mist manipulation. I thought you were a mortal and tried to make you forget that you saw me fighting. It didn't work like I expected it to be. You're good."
"Is it hard to learn?" he prodded.
"Yes, it is. As you can see, my technique failed against your will. It took me two years to learn such a simple spell to rewind a memory."
"Could you teach it to me?" he asked hopefully.
"Sorry, kid. As you've seen, I don't have any general idea to teach you about it. Even I don't know where to begin with." her ears turned red but covered behind her shaggy hair.
"Where are you going anyway?" Percy asked, sparing her the embarrassment.
"I ran away from home due to some complications." she avoided meeting his eyes. "I met two other demigods and a satyr. We were hoping to reach camp Half-Blood. It's a safe place for demigods. We split up to throw the monsters off our trail. I am supposed to meet them in Brooklyn tomorrow. What about you?"
"I live around here with my mom." he vaguely pointed at the location around.
"It's risky to survive on your own, Percy. Why don't you come with me?" she gave him the camp's general location in the Long Islands. "We have experience in monster hunting. And there's another kid your age with us too. You could be partners in fighting." she offered incentive after incentive.
Percy hesitated. A few months ago, he would've jumped at the offer and packed everything to save his mom the peace she so badly wanted in her life, maybe after finishing off smelly Gabe. But after learning about the sacrifice and pain she'd gone through just to keep him safe, he couldn't leave her simply like that.
"Is this camp controlled by the gods, then?" he asked cautiously, not at all inclined to reveal his identity, just yet.
"I don't know, honestly. But does it matter? Jeez, kid, you ask too many questions, just like Annabeth. What's with kids these days?" she grumbled the last part, but Thalia's playful jab was lost on him.
"It's alright. I don't mean to impose on you, but do you have another weapon I could borrow from? I'll return it once I come to camp at my own time." he asked hopefully, assuming Thalia to carry a spare with her.
"I'm sorry, Percy. I don't have any spares on me. Everything was left at our last hideout. Why don't you come with me instead? We'll look after you, it's no problem. We're only a few days from the camp." she offered again, not at all hiding the implore to help another demigod in need.
"Thank you. I appreciate it. But I've concealed my scent from repeated monster attacks. So I'm out of danger for now. D-do you want to take a look at the concealing technique?" he asked. Thalia was the first demigod he's the chance to meet and he wouldn't mind helping her, even without gaining anything in return.
"You're not kidding around?" she crossed her arms and gave him a critical look. He nodded earnestly.
Her eyes bugged out as she kneeled to his size and grabbed his shoulders. "Really, Percy? Are you seriously telling me you have a way to avoid monsters? You're not joking, right?" her eyes turned stormy at the last part and he vigorously nodded.
"C-could you t-teach it to me?" she stuttered. "I-I'll repay you once I meet you at camp and train you myself," she promised.
"S'okay, Thalia. I don't mind." he reached out to his bag and pulled out a bunch of papers. "I've written them in Ancient Greek too." he handed them to her. "They're little messy. So I don't know how much you can get out of it..." he trailed off. She shook her head and asked how much time it would take for hiding from the monsters.
"It took me more than five months, from scratch. With my notes at hand, you could do a lot better, I believe." he asserted.
Thalia looked a little disappointed that it would take months to master the technique to reach a useful level but still held on to the papers. It was better to have a life-saving technique at hand.
"It's better I leave soon, Percy. I don't want to attract many monsters to your neighborhood. We will meet when you come to the camp then."
"Yeah, thanks. I don't want to take any chances either even with my scent concealed. And please keep this meeting a secret, Thalia." he said once he remembered Elaine's warning. "I want a few more years of freedom before going to the camp."
"OK, kid. See you soon."
"Bye, Thalia. Best of luck."
oOo
That had been a month ago and Percy was soon engulfed in exams for the term and his time spent with Elaine had drastically reduced. But as soon as he finished talking to Thalia, he returned home to have a very serious and important conversation with his mom. It's time they get rid of Gabe.
Once again, he was swallowed up by another memory.
Percy had returned home immediately and searched for his mom and Gabe. She was in the kitchen, dressed in her usual attire, unlike her uniform. He approached her carefully.
"Mom, where's Gabe?" she looked at him like he'd grown another head, but relented after noticing his serious gaze.
"Gabriel went to the store, honey. What is it? Did something happen between you two again?" she asked nervously.
"It's not about him, mom. I've something important to ask you. Can...can we talk now?"
His mom placed her cleaning rag on the platform and settled on a couch in the living room. "What is it, Percy? Did you have any problem at school?"
"Mom, it's about the monsters and the illusions around us. You could see them this whole time, couldn't you?" he tore off the band-aid quickly. If they were to reach a conclusion and make some decisions, this betrayal of their unspoken agreement was necessary.
"Please, Percy, can we not—" his mom didn't meet his eyes, still trying to deny everything.
"Mom, it was me who injured Gabe that day. I know that. I know you know this too." There was no need to play hide-and-seek anymore. The tension in the room was already palpable. If ever there was a time for his mom to tell him the truth, now was it.
She didn't answer his question immediately, her gaze locked on the window and leaving him waiting in agonizing silence.
"Mom, please..." that got a reaction out of her.
At last, she turned from the window to look at him. It was strange just how many new emotions—that he couldn't understand—he was seeing in his mom's eyes today. Grief, panic, resignation...
"...Yes, Percy." A brief moment passed, and he didn't move an inch.
How was I supposed to react to that?
Percy wanted to be happy to hear her say it, to celebrate the fact that AT LAST, his mom acknowledged the world he had known for the past few years. But he couldn't. Not when he already know the reasons behind her denial. It wasn't so simple.
"The...the monsters, the illusions, the water—"
"Yes, Percy, I can see all of it."
He kept her gaze for another moment before collapsing into the cushion of his seat. Was he angry? Relived? Bitter?
He didn't know.
"This whole time... Why didn't you tell me?" Years of self-doubt, self-denial. Two years living like a loser and labeled as a liar. Years of injuries and exhaustion. Years of thinking his mom might secretly hate him because he had caused her so much pain. Years of fearing disownment and expulsion. It was all bubbling up to the surface and he couldn't suppress the harsh, accusatory tone that rose with them.
"Percy... I'm... I'm sorry." Tears welled in her eyes, and any anger he held for her immediately vanished. "I know it must've hurt you but... I couldn't tell you the truth. If I did then you would've had to..." she clamped her mouth shut and looked away, angry and ashamed.
All Percy could do was stare at her blankly.
What's she talking about?
All this time, he had thought she was just refusing to save herself peace of mind. But now, seeing her on the verge of a complete breakdown, he realized just how much more he was unaware of about his mom. He also saw just how much it had hurt her to keep it from him.
"Mom, I-I know about Poseidon too." he choked out. The concept of a father was so foreign to him, that he refused to utter the bitter words.
At the mention of Poseidon, his mom made a sudden noise he couldn't understand. All he managed to pick up was a disappointment, longing, and resignation wrapped into one.
Percy felt like he should've kept quiet, should've given his mom the time she needed to compose herself after the sudden reaction, but for some strange reason, her reaction suddenly piqued his interest.
Does she still miss Poseidon? The one who abandoned her to raise a son all on her own? Why?
"Percy...it's...it's time for you to go." she still looked away from him, tears streaming down her face. But none of that registered with him.
Her words were sudden and cruel, hurting him more than any monster ever could. The worry of disownment and abandonment from before returned with full force. A stinging pain behind his eyes grew at that.
What made him even more hurtful than her words was the fact that they were all true.
Between him and the monsters, his mom wouldn't be safe as long as he was around. Still though, to hear her say it...
"I...Y-you want m-me to get out of the house..." his lips quivered and he gritted his teeth to stop back the sting in his eyes.
I won't cry... I wasn't justsomestupidkid andIneedtogetoutofhere! Where do I go? Camp? Could I catch up to Thalia, then?
Sally looked up from the floor with confusion evident in her eyes. It was erased the moment her gaze met his, and she quickly enveloped him in a hug. Relief washed over him. He chided himself to doubt her even after all the pain and sacrifice she'd gone through for him.
"Oh, Percy, no. That's not what I meant at all." she stepped back, holding him at arm's length. "If it were up to me, you'd never have to leave."
"Leave? Where?" he looked at her expectantly.
"A camp. A camp made for kids like you. You'll be safe there." Despite the positive endorsement she was apparently giving the camp, her tone suggested she held some misgivings with the place.
"Before you were born, your father told me I could take you there if you were ever in danger."
He chewed on his lip and turned back to the window, partly in confusion, partly in anger. His father had been brought up more times in the last three months than he had in the last eight years.
Why would Poseidon ask his mom to take him to camp when he didn't meet him once in his life. Why did he meet his mom and had him if he didn't have the slightest desire to stay in their lives? Why didn't his mom leave him at camp at an earlier date if she was worried sick about him?
"Mom, is there something wrong about this camp you mentioned?" he looked at her curiously. Resignation and defeat filled her gaze as she looked at him.
"Sending you to camp means saying goodbye forever, Percy. I can't..." fresh tears streaked her face.
Only then did Percy realize just how much pain his mom had been hiding as well. He realized just how much pain his mom felt having to lie to him, to deny her son that which he so desperately desired.
So he launched into the story of his attempts to create a technique to conceal his presence from monsters and its veracity. He left out the monster hunting, Thalia and her offer to go to the camp together. But he told her about Elaine.
His mom's expression went from sorrow to relief and turned ecstatic once he told her about the concealing technique. She embraced him once more, "That is great, Percy."
"Mom, we don't have to suffer from Gabe anymore. I can get rid of him, lay some traps for the monsters to find him..."
"No, Percy. You don't harm mortals just because you don't like them. About Gabriel, I'll handle him myself." she counter proposed.
"Mom, it's the least I can do for you. Gabe put you through so much. Let me get rid of him." he argued, wringing his hands in frustration. He can see the signs of trauma in his mom because of Gabe, and he hardly believed her methods to get rid of the vile pig.
"Percy, this is something I have to do it myself. I can handle this," she promised, her tone resolute and stern.
He gave in.
oOo
Gabe was out of their lives just after a week, much to his surprise. His mom told him that she threatened Gabe to the police with the charge of domestic violence—he didn't know whatever that is—and it helped the divorce process move faster. But Percy vowed to see his end if he ever saw the tusk-less walrus again in his life.
They managed to find a new apartment by the end of the school term. It was a decent distance from his school and her workplace. Even though his mom accepted his heritage and took everything in stride, she insisted that he get some combat training around the area. So he joined the combat class a few miles from his apartment. His superhuman strength and reflexes helped him master the basics quickly.
He focused mostly on the attacking and restraining techniques. Mixed martial arts took all the advantageous parts from different styles and combined them into one powerful technique. Though learning techniques to attack and wrestle humans wouldn't be of much help to him in fighting monsters, he enjoyed learning control and balance in his attacks.
At the end of the school year, Percy was politely asked to find a new school for the next year. Even though his grades and behavior improved slightly, the school authorities were wary of the troublemaker reputation he had earned with the fights and his anti-social behavior at school.
That's how he found himself practicing his skills in the lake with Elaine in the summer holidays. He wasn't able to meet her regularly during the school term.
Elaine had taught him the authentic ancient Greek language and Percy was able to read the Greek history on his own, unlike before. He kept a journal with him during his visits to the library to record things he didn't understand or found fascinating. He also kept up the improving his concealment techniques too.
The mist hadn't been specifically mentioned in ancient Greek history, but he found shreds of evidence about its existence from the events. He brought the idea to Elaine since Thalia couldn't teach him Mist manipulation.
"I can teach it to you, but it will take time. It is a slow, gradual process. It comes naturally to immortals and demigods are capable of learning it, to some extent at least. Some witches like Circe and Medea were experts at it. Hecate is the goddess of Mist. You won't be as good as any nature spirits, but can still learn enough to confuse mortals and get things done without getting caught in the mortal world." She explained.
"When can we start?" he asked eagerly.
"Why the delay, then? We can start now. To manipulate Mist, first, you should understand how it works and be able to see through illusions. Otherwise, you will be very limited like that girl you mentioned. Seeing through the natural barriers came to you easily. But can you see through a very deliberately weaved illusion?" she snapped her finger with a sly look that made him groan internally.
Very soon, Percy found himself in an open flea market with various stalls selling a variety of assortments and carts carrying fresh fruits. But what made it strange was the people were in a different set of clothes. Men and women wore white sleeveless chitons and cloaks over them. Most of them were barefoot. The stalls and carts too were too old to be placed in a museum.
An assortment of buildings lies on the hillside in the distance. The buildings were polished like marble stone with huge columns and statues made of stone and marbles decorated the open areas. People paid their respects while passing them.
He too was dressed in a simple garment draped over his body with laced-up sandals made of animal skin. He was taller and bulkier than he remembered. He dragged himself to several stalls to identify the goods sold there. Most stalls have vegetables, olives, animal meat, some simple jewelry. There was freshly brewed wine and pottery works at the sale too.
Before long, Percy forgot who and where he was. He roamed the streets, receiving strings of curses for shoving people on the roads, bargaining with the vendors. The new world fascinated him. All of a sudden, everything around him dissolved into the fog and he found himself by the lake once again.
"Woah!" he exclaimed. "That was one messed up dream. I forgot about everything else." Elaine grinned slyly and snapped her fingers once again.
She then proceeded to create several Mist illusions and instructed Percy on how to see through them. By the end of their lesson, Percy was able to identify a Mist illusion but not at a level to see through them. They called it for the day.
Just a week before Percy's birthday, Sally called him from the kitchen. Once they settled in the living room, Percy once again felt like Deja-vu. He just hoped whatever the talk was about wasn't nerve-wracking like before.
"Percy, I have a surprise for you! Your birthday's coming up and I have made plans."
"What is it, mom?" Birthdays usually involved a trip to Montauk beach, but for his mom to tell him in advance...
"Well, you had a rough school year with everything and we're finally able to have some peace in our lives with G-Gabe gone," she still had trouble mentioning that name. "So I decided to reward you with a vacation." she held her hand up to stop him from asking questions.
"But before that, I need to know some facts about your concealing technique. Are you able to hide from the gods too? How long? How accurately this method could conceal you from immortals? How sure are you about this? This is about your safety Percy, I..I—we can't take any chances." she fired a few questions, all at once.
"Mom, what is this about?" watching her somehow made him a little nervous.
"Answer me first.." she demanded, crossing her arms like she meant business.
"Well, I've made slight modifications to it recently. I can hide my presence from monsters actively. I don't know about the gods though. I believe it should be fine too. Unless I consciously release my presence, no one should know that I'm a demigod." he finished.
"Oh, but I can't do anything about it if some monster sees me. I'm not invisible, you know." he added as an afterthought.
Sally looked contemplative and deep in thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity but only a few minutes, she turned to him. "It could work out then?" she contemplated.
"What could? What exactly are you planning, mom?"
"I believe that it's time for you to visit your family roots." she said.
"What family roots? You said your parents..." he managed to stop himself. The last thing he wanted was to remind her of her parents.
"No, I don't have anyone except you, Percy. I'm talking about your other roots?" he thought about it for a second.
"Does that mean that we are going to…?"
"Yes, we are going to Greece. We'll leave on the fourteenth and it's a ten-day trip. So, how's that for a reward?"
"Oh!" he didn't know if should be excited for his mom to put much thought to let him visit his immortal roots or feel bitter about the unknown half of his life.
"Why? You don't want to? We can visit somewhere else too if that's what you want.." she said, a little too quickly to raise his suspicion.
"It's not that I'm against it or anything. But what are you worried about, mom?" he queried.
"I'm worried about letting you on a plane. You know, it's his domain, where you're prohibited to enter." His mom twisted the hem of her blouse in nervousness. Percy found the notion funny. Unless the Lord of Sky—Zeus—doesn't have anything to do other than watch out for illegal half-bloods entering his domain all the time. He snorted at the mental image.
"It's okay, mom. Nothing like that would happen." he consoled her. "I'm okay with Greece."
"Great! Pack your things, then. We leave in two days." Sally stood up but turned to him.
"When we fly there, you'll have to be careful. You can not—I repeat, you absolutely can not—let him know about you in his domain." she warned gravely. "We can not place the mortals on the plane at risk. And there might be a lot of monsters in Greece so you will have to be careful with the whole journey. Do you understand?"
"Yes, mom. Don't worry. I'll be careful."
"Good, then go start packing."
oOo
No matter how much he concealed his aura, how much he was prepared for their trip, getting on a plane was nerve-wracking for Percy. He has to board the plane with the knowledge that he might not come down at any time. One unlucky coincidence and he was doomed, along with his mother and the rest of the passengers. No do-over.
He'd believed that he was testing the technique's veracity with trial in a god's domain, but in actuality, he wasn't prepared enough to face the reality. He was putting all the co-passengers lives at risk for his selfish fantasy.
The entire ride to Greece turned out to be a tense moment for the Jacksons. They waited in bated breath to land in the ancient lands in one piece. The whole fight time placed the duo on edge. Thankfully, Percy had the discretion to main his anonymity around the mythical creatures. He was absolutely certain that the gods were unaware of his identity—yet—and he preferred to keep it that way. He wouldn't have come down to announce his speculations otherwise.
Upon learning about the trip, the only thing that delighted him the most were the clean beaches in the ancient lands. Despite loathing his heritage, Percy liked the clean and pollution-free waters in the ancient empire. They were far more pristine than the ones back in States. The only beach he's ever visited was Montauk.
As they walked on the shores, his mom's face became enlivened. Her eyes turned the color of the sea, enraptured in its beauty and she seemed to grow younger which each passing minute. Years of worry and stress seemed to have disappeared from her face. Percy felt a pang of guilt stab at his heart; he was the cause of her distress. He shook those thoughts away and tried to stay positive about the trip. He knew most demigods wouldn't get a chance to visit the ancient lands, traveling through Mare Nostrum, with ancient creatures overflowing the area.
He was enraptured as soon they stopped in Athens, the capital city of Greece. It was the heart of the ancient Greek empire. The main tourist attraction was the Acropolis of the ancient empire. It was in ruins but even in that state, it was awe-inspiring. He could only imagine how great it would've looked in ancient times with all its glory intact. The architecture was a sight to behold. The acropolis museum simply took his breath away. The exhibits found from the acropolis were displayed in a nearby museum. The statues of different gods, as well as different artifacts, were very interesting to see. The see-through glass floors of the museum allowed the tourists to see the dig sites below their feet.
The ancient agora of Athens was also an interesting sight to see. The National archaeological museum was a place where The Jacksons spent a lot of time. The museum contained a lot of ancient Greek art and archaeology, with sculpture, metalwork, vases, and jewelry. He took a lot of pictures to celebrate the memory, and also because he simply couldn't visit whenever he want.
He realized this was the illusion Elaine had placed him in many of her training sessions. Ancient Greece, completely intact, ruled the powerful lands in the beginning before their eventual fall. The images in his mind would overlap with the familiar ruins occasionally, making him piece the ancient history from the ruins alone.
Percy felt some guilty pleasure while visiting Athens. It was the city Poseidon had competed for its patronage with Athena, the goddesses of Wisdom and War strategy. The person—err, god—who was responsible for his loser title at school lost for the first time here. He wondered if he should learn more about Poseidon and find out what had the god done all his life. He felt a bitter desire to list out all the faults and the losses the god had suffered and mail it to him somehow, if possible.
One of the exhibits astounded the Jacksons. A Celestial bronze long sword hung in a glass case, displayed as an exhibit. Though the mortals were unable to feel the power thrumming throughout the sword, the officials were at least able to identify it as a unique artifact and preserved it. It was the same material as the one Thalia has, and Percy deeply longed for it. He even thought of pilfering it but two things stopped him from proceeding. Percy was not confident to escape unharmed from the mortal eyes using the mist. He doubted his basic skills could cover up the missing exhibit. He was ashamed to mention the other factor; the sword was too long for Percy to wield it. It was almost as tall as he was.
They resumed their trip to the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion. His mom insisted they visit the place next and he reluctantly followed. It was located seventy kilometers away from Athens and was located at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula in Greece. It was a popular site tourists favored after Athens since the sunset view over the Aegean Sea from the ruins of the temple was a breathtaking sight.
The cliff was where Aegeus, the king of Athens, had leaped to his death, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea. He was a father figure to Theseus, another son of Poseidon. Theseus had been supposed to hoist a white sail on his ship if he had won his fight against the Minotaur. But the drunken demigod had forgotten about the sail on his return, and Aegeus, upon seeing a regular black sail on the ship concluded that his son had died and threw himself off the cliff in grief. That was a really sad part of Theseus's life from what Percy had read.
Even if it was in ruin, the temple was a magnificent sight. Standing near Poseidon's temple brought a strange emotion within him along with the familiarity and welcome he'd always felt with the water. Though he appreciated the rejuvenating feeling, he couldn't hide the bitterness and forsaken feeling inside him. A lone tear trickled down his face. He pushed everything aside for his mom's sake, who was reveling Poseidon's presence—undoubtedly present—in his temple.
He followed the tourists into the dome less temple and couldn't help appreciate the temple's ingenuity. The temple still held the grandness that instilled devotion in its believers. Faint wisps of Olympian divinity still lingered at their roots, even after their migration. He wondered about the other empires to hold something for them.
A specific inner temple at one corner intrigued him because the tourists had skipped it. The mist around the inner sanctum made their glaze over and created an illusion to move past the agora. It was decorated with a frieze—a panel of a decorative sculptor—of Poseidon's glory with a high platform inside the temple. As he approached the temple, something within him stirred. A feeling of returning to his roots—he didn't know—washed over him. He was confused by the situation he has found himself in.
He glanced around and stepped inside the temple, purely on instinct. On the central platform, what should've been a statue of Poseidon wielding a three-pointed spear—a trident—was a celestial bronze sword, shining brightly under the sunset. The sword was leaf-shaped and was three feet in length.
It's an Xiphos.
Even after two millennia from the time—he guessed—it was placed here, the sword was in pristine condition. As he approached the platform, the sword hummed in what seemed like glee, excitement—of a child—and other emotions he couldn't place his finger on. He rounded the pedestal and found a note underneath the sword, in a side pocket. He opened the letter written in strong but elegant—like the ocean—handwriting addressing him in ancient Greek. It read,
To my child,
Whoever finds this blade,
As I move to the empire of Rome, I leave this blade as a token. It had belonged to my son, Theseus, in his quest to relieve the Minotaur from its sufferings. Only a child of destiny could wield a blade forged from the sea. Should you chose it forge your path, claim it under your discretion. You have been warned.
Best wishes, child.
"Father..." the word that used to feel so foreign to him, didn't feel repulsive anymore. It was the first time he felt something close to recognition from Poseidon. Percy had a feeling that accepting his situation and moving on rather than holding resentment and bitter thoughts about his father was much easier. He folded the letter and placed it in his pocket.
He glanced at the sword, and couldn't help the chill crawling up his spine. He felt the sword beckon him. Though it was a few feet away, it emitted a bloody aura that seemed as if it could break apart the temple to pieces. Just from the chilling feeling, it had to be a divine weapon. After failing to retrieve a weapon from the exhibits, Percy couldn't bring himself to leave such a precious sword lying there all alone.
Looking at the sword that was stabbed into the platform, a fire burned in his heart. Perhaps the sword has sensed his desire, or perhaps it was something else, it quivered on the platform lightly, enveloping him in a biting-cold killing intent. A bloody light filled the room, bringing a vast oppressive pressure with the sword at its center. Percy felt as if he had fallen into an icehouse. The sword had yet to be taken out, but he could already smell a strong scent of death.
Percy screamed, all of his energy surged out crazily. His aura soared to its peak, spiking the sword's killing intent. The two auras clashed, locked in a stalemate for an instant, before erupting with full force. The platform inside the temple exploded, shooting debris in all directions. Percy coughed blood and flew away when one stuck his body.
He coughed and wheezed, panting for breath. The whole platform in the side temple collapsed, with the sword hovering mid air. A faint red luster enveloped, making it look enchanting and intoxicating. He leaned back on the walls, to support his injured body. He stood up slowly and hobbled over to the sword.
It didn't resist when he grabbed the hilt. Just as Percy thought he had been imagining things, a savage and wild aura exploded out of the sword. The bloody aura was full of malice and violence. Memories assaulted his mind, like a fast-forward static movie.
He watched a ugly giant with huge muscular arms and tiny shriveled legs loomed over him, raising a club to smash him to the ground. The scene shifted to a sow as big as a barn with bristles covering its mottled gray hide and long tusks charge at him. Its dark maniacal eyes glared venomously when the same sword was pulled from its gut by a muscular arm.
Images disappeared like a fog on an early morning. It was replaced by a strange, high-pitched battle cry. A fat woman with mottled gray skin in sack clothes swinging her huge battleax appeared in his line of sight. The scene shifted to a bird's eye view of a guy in dusty clothes, a wide brimmed hat and a crossbow flinging himself from a cliff into the sea.
The memory shifted again to a guy with a huge, leathery lizard-head in a black full-length leather coveralls tied to a stone bed, thrashing and cursing. The scene fast-forwarded to a huge, white wild bull, an army of white armored soldiers, a hulking figure with a horned-bullhead, and a human body filled with coarse fur in a loincloth. An old man leaping over the cliff.
The images sped up so fast that Percy doubled over and kneeled by the platform, sword stabbed to the ground in support. He wheezed out and glanced at the sword, its sharp and red luster fading over the surface slowly.
He stood up on shaky feet and observed the blade. It felt perfectly balanced in his hands, like custom-designed just for him. He recollected the hero in his memories: A tall guy, unusually hyper, with a handsome face, same dark hair and green eyes, sweeping through his enemies like a hurricane.
"Hurricane!" he whispered absentmindedly.
The sword hummed in agreement and the letters καταιγις were permanently engraved on the sword guard. It shrunk its size in his hands till it was the size of a finger-length pendant.
"Thank you, Lord Poseidon." he gripped the small bronze trident-shaped pendent.
There were no more surprises on the trip. The Jacksons covered Sparta, Olympia and Delphi in their tour. The last few days of their trip was spent on the wonderful beaches in Elafonisi, Crete. The trip to Athens and Sounion left a huge impact on his young mind. He learned that he has so much to learn about his heritage that he looked forward to the new term, unlike the last year. It wasn't the school that excited him, but the summer that comes along. Many more exciting summers may come his way.
But this summer and the trip had carved its importance in his life. He'd faced and learned so many things in the year that his previous six-year-old self wouldn't believe a word.
xXx
A/N: I know it's too much of a stretch for making Percy mask his aura from Zeus and making him visit Greece. But Zeus never knew about Percy's existence and he was busy with other unimportant things(Cough, flirting with nature spirits.,). How was it? Good? Bad? Tell me about it.
