Hello again,
Today is Percy Jackson's birthday! Toasts all around. Happy birthday to our boy! If you ain't busy today/this weekend, celebrate the fandom holiday by checking out some other PJO fics (after reading through this one ofc, hehehe).
Shoutout to everyone who helped beta read this chapter; JerilM, AshGMR, Klosekom, and my irl friend 'J'. AshGMR and Klosekom are both FFN PJO authors themselves, please go check out their author profiles and share some love!
I am searching for another permanent beta reader to join the armada. Need another pair of eyes to proofread my work and give me their opinions on what's going on. Besides the perk of getting to read the chapter a little before everyone else, I'll also be sharing some more behind-the-scenes plans and things. If you find yourself really enjoying this story, this is your chance to give me your input and leave your mark on the story.
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Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HOO, or AOT and I'm not profiting off anything.
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Author's note
Narration
Thoughts and Internal Conversations
"Speaking, duh"
Chapter 17: Warriors and Prophecies
19 hours after the initial titan sighting
Wall Rose
Percy's POV:
Completing a survey of the Wall Rose and meeting up in the dead of night, neither of the two search parties were able to locate the hole. Had one of us missed it? We weren't sure. Dreading the current situation and feeling like we failed our mission, we decided to stop at a nearby historical site called Utgard Castle to give our horses and ourselves a much-needed break. Exhausted from a long day and night of riding and with bellies filled with provisional potato soup, it didn't take long for the Scouts and me to drift off to sleep.
I had a dream that night. Not just any dream, but a demigod dream.
Having a demigod dream alone is a daunting experience, but since Annabelle and I had previously concluded I should no longer be having them at all in this new world, getting one now was quite the shock. Annabelle tried to reassure me that it was just a stray Ὄνειρος (dream spirit) and that I shouldn't think too much about it. Yet… and even though the people and events I saw in the dream made no sense, I can't get it out of my mind.
Years of questing experience have taught me that demigod dreams happen for a reason. They are always connected to whatever is at play. Stray dream spirit or not, one day or another, the vision I saw will make sense.
Shortly after waking up and deciding to tell Nanaba about the titan shifters, Lynne cried out that we were under attack. In the dead of night and under a full moon, a great number of titans converged on our position.
I was told titans weren't even supposed to be able to move at night.
Outnumbered, surrounded, and facing an unstoppable assault, the Scouts' lost all sense of hope.
Yet, we kept on fighting anyway. Till the last of our gas, down to our final blades, and to the last of our strength. Henning and Lynne fell first, struck by a flying boulder thrown at the tower. Gelgar went down third, running out of gas mid-flight, killed on impact when he hit the ground. Then Nanaba and I were grabbed next. We lost.
Until Ymir joined the fray. Hearing my cries for help, jumping off the tower, and transforming midair, she pulled Nanaba to safety before the titans could take another chunk out of her. She saved her.
I don't blame Ymir for waiting, not at all. But I do wonder what would've changed if she had joined the fight from the start. And who else may have been saved.
I wasn't there to see Ymir fight off the horde or cause Utgard's largest tower to fall over. I was busy sliding down a titan's throat. Without my sword, all I could do was sit and wade in the pool of acid I had found myself in until my sword's enchantments did their work. I'm not sure what would happen if the stomach acid doused my weak spot. It wasn't corrosive enough to dissolve my clothes or anything, and being a Son of Poseidon, I am naturally heat resistant. Still, I didn't want to take any chances, so I did my best to keep my pits clean.
Hygienic.
Riptide returned after what felt like hours to me. As soon as I felt its weight in my pocket, I uncapped it and cut myself free from the belly of the beast. After killing the asshole who ate me and saving Christa's life, the rest of the Scout regiment arrived not a moment later. Cleaning up the remnants of the horde, the nightmare finally ended.
Our little squad must have been quite the sight. In addition to finding out Ymir was a titan, we had 3 deceased members, one with a missing leg, one with a bitten forearm, one coated in stomach acid, and one missing his pants. The only normal people left were Connie and Christa, both of whom were covered in a mix of dust and Nanaba's blood.
Nanaba is alive, gods know how. The new arrivals took one look at her and immediately tasked a body cart to haul her away to Ehrmich District. I hear Trost is closer, but apparently Ehrmich has better doctors.
I continue to pray to Apollo and the other medicine gods, hoping she'll be ok.
Sam led the other horses out of the forest not too long after Hange gave the announcement that we would be temporarily setting up camp on Wall Rose. Sam took one look at my 'stomach juiced' body and told me that "not even a hundred apples would get him to carry me on his back." Even after dousing myself with three full buckets of well water, Sam forced me to hitch a ride on a supply wagon.
By the time we got to the Wall, dark clouds rolled over the skies.
It begins to drizzle.
"Slowly!" One Scout orders while another cranks the pulley system. "Bring her up slowly!"
While a few Scouts tend to the supply railcars on top of the wall and a few others stand on lookout duty, scanning the surrounding lands with one-eyed telescopes, the rest of us watch Ymir gently sway in the breeze while the pulley system does its work.
"Raise it carefully now." One of the Scouts on the medical team advises.
Strapped safely to a stretcher and covered with a green coat to cover her from the slight rain, Ymir peacefully rests in a state of unconsciousness, unaware she's currently being hauled up a 60-meter-high wall.
The titans got Ymir good. Her left arm taken just below the elbow, her right leg missing at the knee, and her stomach beaten to scrambles, Ymir had a lot more bitten off from her than Nanaba did. Why they didn't take Ymir with her, I have no idea.
"Should Ymir have gone to Ehrmich with Nanaba?"
"She'll make it." One of the Scouts on the medical team speaks.
"Huh?" I turn towards her. The pinkish-red tinge of her auburn hair immediately catches my attention.
"Those who are part titan have incredible regenerative abilities."
Looking down Wall Rose, I notice small amounts of steam seeping out from under Ymir's cloak.
She's steaming just like these titans do.
"We don't know their true limits yet, but we know they're capable of completely regenerating lost limbs. Just ask Eren." She points her thumb at the boy standing over the edge of the wall on the other side of her.
The kid dressed up as a Scout blinks.
"Uhh, yeah," He dumbly answers.
He only looks 15. Short dark brown hair, teal-green eyes, and furrowed brows. He's not unique in feeling this way but I can see he's that deeply troubled about what's going on. What's most alarming is not his status of being yet another child soldier in the Scout Regiment's ranks, but the alarm bells going off in my head.
He's a monster in disguise. Like Ymir. Like Reiner and Bertolt. And like Annie.
I wasn't sure if it was him but now I know. It's that Eren kid everyone's been talking about.
"If she were normal, she'd be dead for sure," Another Scout watching Ymir comments.
Eren runs off to help Reiner, who's clinging over the edge of the wall and struggling to pull himself off a lift with only one arm.
The world goes black for a second. Next thing I know, I'm catching my bobbing head from hanging down.
"Hey, you alright?" The auburn hair Scout asks.
My eyes sting from being open for too long.
"I just need a good night's rest…" I reply.
Chiron told me Achilles used to take more than twenty naps a day due to his curse. How many have I had in the past 20 hours? Just the one?
But sleep can come later. First, I need to talk to Hange.
"Please, you have to believe me!"
I turn away from Ymir, spotting Christa pleading her case to the crazy scientist lady I was looking for.
"Ymir transformed into a titan to fight off the other titans and save us! She did so with no regard for her own life. That proves her loyalty." Christa continues, putting her hand on her heart. "To us. Her comrades."
"It's true… She's wrong for withholding her true identity and information that likely could have turned the tide of war in humanity's favor. I imagine she didn't say anything in order to protect herself," Christa continues. "But she's changed! Ymir is an ally of humanity! I know her better than anybody. This is all much less complicated than it looks."
I start dragging myself over to them.
"I see…" Hange replies after a moment.
"Well… Of course I'd like to have a friendly relationship with her." Hange and Christa turn, watching the work crew finish taking Ymir off the lift and place her safely onto the wall.
"Regardless of the past, the information she has is a treasure trove for humanity…I'd like to get along with her. But you know, even if she is a simple person, this world becomes more and more confusing with every passing day."
Hange turns to me.
"Isn't that right, Percy?"
"Uhhh…"
I sheepishly rub the back of my neck.
"I mean, I'm still trying to figure out peoples' names."
"That raises a good point." Hange turns back to Christa. "So your real name is Historia Reiss, right?"
"Yes, it is." Christa nods.
"Reiss, as in the noble family?"
Christa looks down.
"... Yes."
"I see…"
Hange reaches out and pats Christa on the shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, Historia."
"Uhh…thank you." Christa awkwardly replies.
Hange removes her hands and starts heading over to Ymir without us.
Christa looks over at me. I give her a small wave.
"Uhhh, nice to meet you again, I guess?"
Christa/Historia smiles at my gesture, her blue pearls shimmering for the first time since titans were spotted around Utgard.
"Come on."
I follow her over to the medical team crouching over Ymir's body.
"How's Ymir?" Hange asks the Scouts examining Ymir's condition.
"Still comatose." A male Scout replies.
Christa— or erhh, Historia walks over to Ymir and kneels next to her head.
"But she's stopped bleeding, and… some sort of steam is coming from her wounds?" The medic uneasily reports.
While that Scout explains the situation to Hange, the auburn hair girl I spoke with earlier checks the tension on the ropes strapping Ymir to the stretcher. I'd like to imagine the ropes are there to keep her body in place to prevent further injury but with the military's track record, I'm not too sure.
"For now, we should probably take her back to Trost so she can get some proper medical care." Hange briefs. "She's in your hands, Nifa."
"Understood, Section Commander." The pinkish-haired Scout replies.
Historia solemnly brushes Ymir's bangs out of her face in a nurturing kind of way.
"Now then," Hange turns around. "We came here to seal up a wall…"
She begins walking away from Ymir and the others and towards the main group further down the wall. The brown-haired man who filled her in on Ymir's condition follows Hange off.
Taking one last glance at Ymir's sleeping face, I chase after them.
"Hange, wait!"
She slows down for me to catch up but continues forward.
"Yes?" She asks.
"Do you—Did someone tell you what happened?"
"Well of course!" Hange cheerfully replies. "And I heard you had quite the adventure."
"A nice horseback stroll through Wall Rose's countryside, a pit stop at a hamlet to experience some of the local culture, a warm meal under a full moon in an exotic medieval keep…" Hange lists, sarcastically wiggling her wrists.
I open my mouth.
"Wait, there's one more thing I forgot to mention!"
Hange twirls around and grabs my shoulders, my jaw remains open in disbelief.
"You were eaten by a titan!"
Before I can get a single word in, she starts to rant.
"I had no idea it was possible to survive being swallowed whole! I always assumed the victim would suffocate or succumb to the titan's heat. But now we have two recorded and confirmed surviving cases! That's enough evidence to suggest Eren's experience wasn't an isolated occasion. The next time we secure a live specimen, I'm going to cut open its stomach and—"
"Hange!" The brown-haired Scout by her side cries.
"Right." She sighs, letting go of my shoulders and stepping away.
"Alas, we have more important matters to tend to. While I'd love to discuss your… 'otherworldly' experience, we should focus on getting back to Trost first."
A sudden serious expression dons on her face.
"And we'll also need to discuss how you got out of your chains."
She turns heel and walks off with her assistant.
"Hange, wait."
Hange brushes me off, heading to Connie and the group he's to inform them on what the Scouts are planning to do next.
Is Hange… intentionally avoiding me?
"Seems like she is," Annabelle agrees.
But why?
I watch from afar while Hange reassures Connie about his village, telling him to keep focus on the task at hand and promising that she'll send a team to investigate it later.
"It's almost like she's trying to avoid a confrontation altogether."
Confrontation with who? With me?
"And Ymir."
But—Haven't I proven myself?
"It seems off for Hange to still be this distrusting… Maybe she wasn't fully briefed like she thinks she is?"
A commotion distracts me from my thoughts. All the Scouts begin heading over to the inner side of the wall, looking at something down below. Although I just want to tell Hange my side of things and promptly fall asleep, my itching curiosity wins out.
Far down below, a squad of horses rides along the base of Wall Rose. Led by a blonde-haired man, he slows his party to a stop along our segment of the wall. Dismounting his steed, the soldier uses his ODM gear to begin ascending the wall.
"Hannes?" A young black-haired girl asks in surprise. Eren and another blonde-haired kid step up beside her to take a look.
"It's the Garrison's advance squad," Hange notes. "They came to tell us where the hole is."
With bated breaths, we wait for the man to climb to the top.
"There's no hole anywhere!" He announces as soon as his blonde ruffles peak over the edge.
"Huh?" that Eren kid asks. He takes a step toward the blonde newcomer.
"We spent all night looking for it…" the man explains, still struggling to right himself up onto Wall Rose. "but all between Trost and Krolva District, there's nothing wrong with the wall."
The blonde-haired man finishes climbing. Between the flaps of his green cloak, I can see the red roses of the Garrison Regiment peeking out underneath.
"What'd you say?" Hange asks, shaken by the news.
"We bumped into soldiers from Krolva and retraced our steps. We haven't seen any titans this whole way here." The Garrison man explains.
"But—we know for sure there are titans on this side of the wall!" One of the kids refutes. His short stature, cherubic facial definitions, blue eyes and long blonde bangs remind me of a male clone version of Historia.
If I remember… I think he was there when the Scouts were asking me about Annie.
"Did you actually look?" Eren pushes. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"I didn't drink!" The man defends. "Wait, why are you all here anyways?"
The kids don't answer his question. The wind kicks up, flapping the cloth of the red triangular flags lining the wall. The noise tickles the thoughts of those trying to process the news the man has brought.
With a finger on her chin, Hange nods.
"If there's no hole in the wall, then so be it," Hange concludes. "For now, we're falling back to Trost District!"
The crowd of Scouts begins to disperse at her order, heading back to where most of the supplies have been unloaded. Hange turns her heels and walks with them.
"Hange, wait!" With a skip in my step to catch up, I chase after her.
"Oh no… What if there's a titan that dug a hole underneath the wall?" Hange asks that brown-haired Scout who always shadows her.
"The hole will be hard to find in that case." The man replies.
"Hange, I need to tell you what happened!"
"This isn't a good time, Percy," Hange replies. "Right now, we need to focus on getting Ymir back to safety. Right, Moblit?"
"Right, and it's no easy task." The Scout on Hange's side agrees. "Even with our horses, we still have to worry about titans."
"Percy, I figured it out! She knows! Hange already—"
"I found out Ymir was a titan before she transformed."
Hange and her assistant freeze. I keep walking, turning around and stopping in front of them.
"I felt it every time I was around Annie, but I didn't understand what it was until you told me what Annie was."
"Perseus, we need to keep—"
"I told Nanaba about it before the attack." I cut Hange off. "And I need to tell you now." I raise my finger pointing behind them. "There are 3 more titan shifters in that group over there."
Looks of horror spread across the Scout's faces. They turn around to find Eren isolated alone with Reiner and Bertolt. Reiner, in the midst of unraveling the pink cloth torn from Christa's dress, reveals his injury to the air and raises his bitten forearm for Eren and all to see.
"The only choice for me now… is to face the consequences of my actions…" He clenches his fist. Steam erupts from Reiner's injury, orange sparks flying in the air. The wound immediately heals over.
"And as a warrior… to fulfill my duty to the bitter end!"
My body kicks into autopilot.
"Reiner!" Bertolt shouts at his partner. "Are we doing it?! Now!? Right here?!"
I push past Hange. My hand flies for my pen.
"Yeah, we settle this…" Reiner takes off, charging at Eren. "Right here! Right now!"
The Scout closest to the titan shifters, a young black-haired girl, intercepts Reiner. Twirling around and swinging her swords from the hip, she strikes for Reiner's head. Reiner throws his hands up, catching the dual blades with his arms.
One of the swords cuts straight through Reiner's wrist, chopping off his right hand. The other cleaves through the left palm and halfway down his forearm, the blade snapping off from the girl's handle. Reiner falls on his back in a spray of blood.
Without wasting a breath, the girl lunges for Bertolt. Swinging her remaining sword at his neck, she's only just out of reach for a decapitating strike. Bertolt falls to the ground, tears forming in his eyes, hands at his neck trying to stop the blood profusely bleeding from his torn open throat.
I bolt past Sasha and that blonde-haired kid. Halfway there.
"Eren! Run!" The black hair girl cries, standing over Bertolt and raising her sword to finish him off.
Before she can stab down, Reiner rights himself up and throws his shoulder into her, throwing the girl off the Wall's edge. The sound of her ODM gear spitting gas tells me she didn't fall to her death.
Only a quarter of the way to go.
"Eren! Get out of there!" One of the kids behind me screams. Footsteps pound after me.
Reiner stands protectively in front of Bertolt while his friend gets up off the ground. Orange lightning begins widely sparking off of their bodies, singeing the ground and electrifying the air. Then, the entire world lights up. A bolt of lightning falls from the heavens, striking Reiner and Bertolt as if Zeus himself is dishing out his wrath upon them.
Their transformation flings me off my feet. Crate of supplies are blown apart; pots, pans, and cans of food rations crash past me. The blistering air burns my clothes and pushes me right off Wall Rose.
My vision immediately flickers to black. A terrifying sense of nostalgic dread invades my gut. I try to cry out for help—but my throat chokes up, a feeling like an object has lodged itself in my neck and is blocking my airway. A strange warmth clings to my body, almost as if someone is wrapped around me. Mutterings of sweat nothingness try to spill into my ears only to be drowned out by the roar of plummeting to my death. Long messes of hair blow into my face. I catch a faint whiff of lemony shampoo.
"Promise you'll never leave me, Seaweed Brain."
A-Annabeth?
"Promise."
Instincts kick in. Mid fall I turn my body, pointing my weak spot to the sky.
My body collides with mother Earth.
The ground rumbles.
"Incoming!" A deep voice booms.
A distant boom rattles my well-deserved rest.
"Artemis, shoot it down!"
A mighty explosion rocks the world. I immediately jolt out of sleep, covering my ears from the ear-splitting blast. A second shock wave rolls past me. My bones shudder. Dust, debris, and pebbles bounce off my uncovered skin.
I look up.
A dark, crimson red sky. Black clouds spitting electricity and raining ash. In the center of it all—a fiery column of cloud. Bigger than anything I have ever seen.
"The world… it's on fire."
I turn to the feminine voice.
My heart flutters in confusion. Looking like a weird mix between Annabeth and Historia, dressed in gleaming Greek battle armor, standing at a height of 12 feet, and with mascara running all down her face, is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
Aphrodite?
"They dare defy the gods?!" Ares roars, stabbing the tip of his greatsword into the ground.
"Ἀμαθής!" Zeus bellows. His glowing Master Bolt appears in his hands. "They'll pay for their transgressions!"
He fires his bolt off into the sky. I remember Chiron once saying that the Master Bolt's blasts make 'hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.'
"We never should have let mankind's technology progress this far." Vulcan sighs, watching the trail of electricity from Zeus' strike disappear behind the coal clouds.
The sky erupts with a violent explosion, somehow larger and more volatile than the last. The thunderous shock wave jitters my teeth. A white marble pillar collapses right in front of me; its once intricately chiseled greek pattern cracked and deformed of its beauty. The rock crumbles apart.
Watching Annabeth's hard work get ruined right in front of me, I'm finally struck with where I am.
I'm on Olympus.
"Hermes!" Zeus roars.
"I still haven't sensed his visit," Hermes yells in frustration.
"Some god of travelers you are!" Hera jeers while two minor gods assist her in strapping on her armor breastplate.
"He's outside of my domain. But I assure you, as soon as he—" He freezes, his head whipping in my direction. "HE'S HERE!"
"WHERE!" My dad in his Roman form booms, waving his trident around, searching for me.
"Dad!" I cry. Neptune's cold gaze lands on me.
"Apollo! We don't have time!" Athena cries.
"Deliver it now, Apollo!" Zeus shouts, firing off another bolt into the sky.
Before I can even have the chance to ask what the hell is going on, two hands tightly grip my shoulders. They force me to turn around, face to face with a ghoulish face uglier than that old mummified Oracle of Delphi.
"A-A-Apollo!?"
Arguably the most handsome of the Olympian gods, the god who literally shines the brightest, it's-it's him!
Once pristine and flawless, his skin is now shriveled and wrinkled with a deathly gray tint to it. Perfect cheekbones and chiseled jawline are now sunken in and crooked. His golden head of hair—disheveled and dotted with bald patches.
He opens his eyes.
They don't glow with their signature molten gold. Instead, they light up with a venomous shade of green. Apollo opens his mouth, green smoke rolling out and over rotten and decaying teeth. The words he begins to chant metaphorically and quite literally shake my existence.
"From one hell to another, the oath breaker returns,
A boy wrongfully accused—a vengeance that burns."
As Apollo continues, each word increases in volume. The next syllable pounding harder and harder into my ears than the last.
"Traitors among friends, power of unknown,
A giant blasted to history, a new ruler for the throne."
At the word "blasted", saliva flies from Apollo's mouth, splattering on my cheeks. I try to hold my breath, but I let out an involuntary gasp. A mixed scent of decaying flesh and rotten boiled eggs invades my nostrils and lungs.
"A mission for Maria, most perishing by rock.
Children cry for the dead, future pasts unlock.
Bonds shatter; a wish to return home,
A lover's betrayal beside the sea's foam."
My vision spins. I try to rip his hands away, but his fingers don't budge. Apollo ignores the garbled yells of the other gods and grips tighter on my shoulders.
"To places new and places of old,
A cure for the devil's children shall unfold.
Wars are fought, brothers converge,
Walls crumble, so begins the titans' purge."
My father reverts to his greek form, crying my name. Mr. D summons a glass of wine, offering it to Hermes. Zeus' Master Bolt returns to his hand.
"Wings soar above Heaven and Earth
One of the nine transferred to a child at birth.
As Olympus slumbers and fate is defied,
The world will flatten if the titan doesn't die."
"They'll pay…" Zeus growls "Demigods, humans, satyr or faun. They'll all pay!"
"The gift, Percy!" My father cries, running over to me. "Did you get the gift?"
Before my dad's arms reach me, Zeus cocks his arm back and unleashes the nuclear arsenal of Olympus into the skies.
I wake up to some creature slobbering on my face.
"*Pfft!* *Pfft!*"
I try to push the creature's tongue away from me.
"Boss!" Sam neighs. He furiously licks me harder.
"Dude! *Pfft!* Stop!"
I push his head away again and sit up, wiping the slime off my nose and cheeks.
"Nasty…"
"Boss!" Sam repeats, excitedly trotting in place.
"Come on man, you know I just went through this." I spit.
"I was worried! And how else would I wake you up!"
"Ugg. What happened?"
"You fell off the wall!"
Raising a hand to my groggy head, clumps of dirt and grass tumble off my shoulders and hair.
"There was a big flash of light and an explosion! And when I looked up, suddenly there were two titans on the wall! Then boss, I spotted you falling."
Right… Reiner, Bertolt. They transformed.
I take the time to look at my surroundings. I landed some 30 feet away from the Wall in a forest. All around me are trees and shrubs, diminishing my line of sight. I can't see any of the other horses or Scouts anywhere. The forest's ground is covered in a nice soft green of moss and grass, but where I landed is just dirt. A literal mini-crater caused my impact.
If I didn't have this curse, the fall would have turned me into a fine mush.
"Wait, how long have I been asleep?" I stand up, asking Sam.
"A few hours," Sam neighs.
"A few hours! Why didn't you wake me up sooner!"
"I tried boss, but you wouldn't budge!"
"Why didn't the Scouts come and collect me?"
"They don't know you're here, I think."
"And you didn't go tell them?"
Sam nervously paws his front feet.
"Well… I thought you may not want to go back with them, with the way they were treating you and all…"
Oh…
I'm alone, out of my chains, and I have a horse of my own.
"You could run away," Annabelle whispers in my thoughts.
I could.
"You could hop on Sam's back and run off, never looking back. Find some rural village far away from the government's eyes and get yourself a job as a farm hand. Marry a farmer's daughter and start a family. Live out your life. Without fighting. Without death."
I… I can't.
"Why not, doesn't that sound like the ideal peace you always wanted?"
Annabelle's words make me shiver. They remind me of Kronos or Gaia, visiting my dreams and coaxing me with false promises to join their side.
"I'd always be on the run. Forever hunted down by the government and king, just like you said."
"Uhhh, what?" Sam asks.
"Besides, that first line of the prophecy… it's about me, isn't it?" I whisper to myself.
The oathbreaker returns… that's referring to Styx bringing me back to life, isn't it?
"Most likely." Annabelle softly agrees.
"... then the fates are going to make me fight anyway."
"Uhh, boss?" Sam wines. "Maybe I should lead you back to the other humans. You must've hit your head when you fell."
"You're a good horse, Sam."
Sam tilts his head in confusion.
"Back at the castle—thank you for listening to me and protecting the other horses."
"Of course!" Sam proudly stomps his right front hoof. "I gotta protect my herd!"
"Now, which way are the Scouts?"
Sam turns and begins leading me through the forest, presumably back to where I had climbed the Wall earlier.
A second demigod dream within the same day, that's never a good sign.
"Yeah, it's not…" Annabelle agrees.
… You still think it's just a random spirit messing with me?
"Not anymore."
Sam and I continue rummaging through the forest's brush.
…
Think I should write down all those lines on a piece of paper?
"Apollo practically supplanted it in your subconscious. Just think of his face and I can repeat it for you."
An image of Apollo's ghastly appearance pops into my head.
Great… I guess that means I'll be remembering that moment for the rest of my life.
…
Do you think they are alright? My mom, Paul, my friends? The red sky, the explosions, the gods' expressions…
"It doesn't matter. Those images could be completely doctorated or be from 1,000 years after you die. There's no way to tell."
But what if—
"You're not a part of that world anymore. You should focus on the one you're in."
Annabelle's words sting. I can't help but wonder if that small part of me that believes in that is actually 'her'.
Sam leads me out of the forest and into a clearing.
A small herd of horses and a few Scouts stand at the base of Wall Rose. Two lift contraptions alternate up and down the wall. They aren't like the makeshift ODM gear-powered lifts we used earlier to scale the wall, these are the full box lifts that Nanaba and I used at Stohess District, the ones large enough to fit a horse or two in a single trip.
Hange didn't bring these lifts along with her.
"Yo!" I call out, waving my hands as I approach the Scouts.
"Woah! What's a civilian still doing here?" One of the men holding the reins of two horses asks.
"Buddy, did you not hear the news? It's not safe around here, titans were spotted inside Wall Rose!" Another Scout calls out, stepping towards me.
"Yeah, I uh, I saw a couple." I sheepishly respond. "So… where's Hange?"
"Section Commander Hange?" The Scout replies, taken back by my response.
"Halt the lift!" Someone yells.
As the lift that just took off pauses and begins to be lowered, a man runs over to us.
"It's Perseus Jackson, the boy who can control water!" He announces, to his fellow Scout's surprise.
"You need to go see Commander Erwin."
Sam and I step off the lift, now 60 meters above the ground. A Scout comes and takes Sam's reins, leading him over to the other horses. Sam gives me one last uneasy look before being taken away to the other horses.
I look around.
There are a lot more people. Men and women in Scout, Military Police, and even a few in Garrison uniforms. They have lifts positioned on the other side of the wall, suggesting they plan to venture out into titan territory. What catches my eye most of all are the 14 unconscious Scouts covered in burns. I think I see Hange laying in the group, being tended to by another.
Something tells me their fight with Reiner and Bertolt didn't go so well.
"Percy!" Historia waves, running over to me.
She's no longer in a white blouse and her torn pink dress. Now she has a Scout Regiment cloak over her shoulders and ODM gear at her waist.
"Where have you been?"
"I fell."
"What? Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine. How long has it been?"
Historia looks down.
"It's been 6 hours now."
"W-what happened?"
Historia's eyes waver.
"Reiner and Bertolt." She chokes. "They took Ymir."
"And Eren."
Another girl steps up. She's the one who almost struck down Bertolt and Reiner before they transformed. Short black hair, 5'7", burns covering her face, a noticeable old scar next to her right eye. But what's most striking, to me, is her ethnicity.
"Hey, are you—"
"Why didn't you warn us?" She demands.
"Mikasa!" Historia cries.
"You knew about Reiner and Bertolt. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Connie and the male Historia-look-alike join our group.
The Asian girl, Mikasa, stares at me with an unforgiving glare.
"I told Nanaba about them."
"What?" Historia gasps.
"When?" Connie asks.
"Before we learned that we were under attack." I turn to the black-haired girl. "I tried telling Hange about it too, but she kept avoiding me."
The girl's gray-eyed stare doesn't lessen, but she does eventually turn her head away.
"That's probably because we already knew."
"Armin, what do you mean?!" Connie shouts at the blonde kid next to him.
"Hange was likely trying to avoid a confrontation since we deduced Reiner and Bertolt likely colluded with Annie," Armin replies.
"What's Annie have to do with it?" Historia asks.
It's Armin's turn to look down.
"She was the Female Titan."
"Damnit, what?" Connie curses to himself.
"Sorry, we have a lot to catch up on." Armin apologies.
"H-how many of our friends are titans?" Connie whispers in frustration.
"Percy…" Historia calls. "How did you know?"
"That's something I'd like to hear about as well."
A tall newcomer with a presence of authority steps into our circle.
"Commander Erwin." Armin acknowledges.
His icy blue eyes stare at me much like the girl's. Although his eyes are much more critical than the Mikasa. Less accusatory and more like 'we have a lot to catch up on'.
"You already know how I know," I reply.
He continues to stare, not saying a word. But we both understand the gamble behind the decision he made. And at this point, I think he knows that I know.
"That's why you sent me out here without your king's authorization."
A few eavesdropping MPs stiffen, pausing their efforts in loading their horses onto the nearby lifts.
"Once the king hears I made that call for the betterment of mankind, I think he'll understand."
He breaks contact with me, turning to his fellow Scouts.
"Perseus and I must discuss something, alone."
Connie blinks. "Oh, uhh, right!"
He steps away first. The others begin to follow.
"I'm sorry about Mikasa." The blonde-haired kid apologizes.
"No worries." I nod back.
"And I heard what you did at the castle. Thank you for protecting my friends." Then, he walks off.
"So…" I turn to Erwin. "Did it pay off, sending me here?"
Erwin glances over at me, then returns his gaze to the kids giving us space.
"The enemy continues their pace, two steps ahead," Erwin replies. "But I was able to confirm what type of person you truly are."
A slight gust of wind tussles our hair.
"Eren Jaeger is humanity's only hope." Erwin continues. "Without him, human civilization would have crumbled and succumbed to the titan onslaught at Trost. He is not only the key to winning this conflict, I believe he will reveal the secrets plaguing our society."
Erwin turns his whole body towards me. Being around children and working with female soldiers for the last minute, I've grown used to looking down at people when I speak to them. But with Erwin having a few inches on me, I'm looking slightly upwards for a change.
"In a few minutes, the Scout Regiment will conduct a joint operation with Ehrmich District's Military Police. We will rise out behind Wall Rose into titan territory, find the Armored and Colossal Titan, and recover Eren Jaeger at all costs."
Erwin pauses. I realize he's waiting for me to say something back.
"... I told Nanaba I would join the Scouts, you know… I don't appreciate being thrown out in the field like this, but the sights I saw," I shiver at the thought of Nördlingen and Utgard "—they reminded me that I can't just sit by and watch."
Erwin holds out his hand.
"So will you join us then?"
His eyes shine. Behind his cold icy stare, I can tell he's proud of his gambit. My head boils for a second, but I push those feelings aside and take his hand.
"I'm coming. But only for Ymir."
Erwin's lips twitch, but he does a good job hiding his displeasure.
"That girl is an unknown variable." Our hands break away.
"And kinda rude," I grin. "But I think she's a good person."
And we leave it at that.
Erwin takes a brief moment to glance around to check on the progress of his troops.
"So, you read Annie's reports on me, right?"
"Every one," Erwin answers, still observing his men.
"Then you should know what I mean when I mention demigod dreams and prophecies right."
Erwin turns his attention back to me.
"This past day, I've had two demigod dreams. The first—well, I'm not too sure what was going on. I saw strange people dressed in uniforms I had never seen on top of one of the walls."
Erwin's shoulders stiffen. He perks up slightly.
"In the second one, a god gave me a prophecy. I think you should write it down."
Erwin frowns.
"Actions are the seeds of fates, not precognitive mutterings." He replies.
"If you took a gamble that I'd be able to sense Reiner and Bertolt, and if you don't believe I'm a lunatic like everyone says I am, then I think you should at least write it down. Besides…" I shrug. "What's the cost of scribbling a few words on a piece of paper and tucking it in your pocket?"
"... My time." Erwin eventually answers.
I grin.
Erwin takes out a notepad and a pen and I recite the prophecy for him. Then, I bid him my adieu. Erwin walks off, finishing the final preparations as the last of the horses get lowered outside Wall Rose.
"Finish transporting the horses and saddle up!" Erwin yells to his troops. "We're far enough behind time as it is!"
He doesn't believe it at all, does he?
"Not a lick," Annabelle replies.
Problem for future me, I guess.
I head back over to Historia, Connie, and the other kids, who are all getting their gas pressures and straps.
"Historia."
Her head perks up.
"You're going?" she asks.
I'm not sure what gave it away, but I nod.
"I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to bring Ymir back."
"B-but why?"
"Well, you're the only person who's ever treated me nicely."
"You don't owe me anything." She whispers.
"And, I think Ymir's a good person. She saved us after all." I smile. "I don't think she deserves being carried off to whatever titan get-together Reiner and Bertolt have planned."
A wavering smile lights up her face. Historia reaches for her face, wiping a stray tear on her cloak's sleeve.
"She must know Eren is everyone's priority. For the Scouts, it's like Ymir is a second thought for them."
I don't get it. They're both titans. What makes him so much more special than her?
"They don't know Ymir. But they trust Eren."
I frown at that comment.
"Hey, Christa," Armin calls while he finishes securing the straps his ODM gear. "I think it would be best if you stayed here. But…"
"I told you over and over. That's not happening." Historia sniffles. Mikasa and Armin frown at her reply. "I can't sit here and wait after Ymir was kidnapped. You two should understand how I feel."
"Christa's right, Armin," Connie speaks up. "We all have more than enough reasons to go after them. Personally, I still can't believe it."
Connie crosses his arms and turns towards the edge of the wall, staring into the vast horizon.
"I won't believe that Reiner and Bertolt are our enemies until I hear it from their own mouths."
"Hange!" A voice suddenly cries out.
We turn around to see Hange grabbing the ankle of her assistant. Covered in burns and unable to stand, she struggles on her stomach to get his attention.
"A map! Get me a map!" Hange shouts.
"Let's go," Armin calls.
"Right." The others agree.
The remaining Scouts on the wall begin to crowd around her. I take a step to follow, but…
"BEHIND YOU!" Annabelle screams.
My demigod senses flare. An enormous presence stands behind me, larger than any monster or titan shifter I've met.
Something tugs on my pants leg.
Slowly, I turn around…
A little girl… It's only a little girl…
"Excuse me, mister." She squeaks, tugging on my pants.
She keeps her gaze downcasted at my shoes whilst trying to get my attention. The top of her blonde head barely reaches my pecs. She couldn't be older than 7.
My lips part.
"DON'T!"
A new wave of danger floods my senses, almost forcing my knees to buckle. My kelp head brain almost just asked her where her parents are.
The girl slowly turns her head up at me…
She doesn't have eyes.
"It hurts. It really hurts."
Even though her face should be completely illuminated by the sun, an unnatural black shadow hovers over her eyes, completely concealing them from view. No matter how deep I look, I can't find any trace of them in the darkness. Yet, that's not the only horrifying thing. Fresh blood covers the child's chin, cheeks, and the front of her rag shirt.
Blood drools from her lips, almost as if she just took a raw bite out of someone.
"Please mister, make it stop."
A single tear rolls down her cheek. Her sheer presence overwhelms my head, my ears begin to ring.
A hand slaps over my shoulder.
"Dude!"
My heart leaps in my chest. A young Scout, maybe only a year or two younger than me, flips me around.
"I knew I was going to have my work cut out when Erwin assigned me to watch over you but holy crap! Don't you have ears?!"
He has light ash-brown hair with trimmed sides, small, intense light-brown eyes with a vicious look in them, and a long face.
Hesitantly, I turn my head back towards the creepy young girl.
She's gone.
"W-what?! Hey," I face back around. "Did you s-see her? That kid?"
"A kid? What the hell are you saying?"
The young man's eyes don't falter for even a second. He's not lying. He didn't see her.
"No way…" I whisper.
"We don't have time for games! You wanted to come along right? Then come on, get your ass moving!"
He gives me a little shove towards the lifts.
"Uhhh, I'm Percy, by the way…"
The teen grits his teeth.
"Jean!" Connie yells, waving us down. Sasha stands next to him, waving us down as well. "Let's get going!"
The teen brushes past me to join his fellow soldier.
I take one last glance at the empty space behind me before following suit.
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This chapter was 7.3k words long.
Yoooooo! Lot's of mythological happenings in this chapter.
130k plus words in and we finally have a prophecy! I know it's pretty long, but it's going to be a long story. Most of the lines will be pretty recognizable to you all. I did try to make them vague for the sake of the characters in the story, but, there are a few lines that are written to throw you guys off too. You may have also noticed that some lines that seem completely unrecognizable. Perhaps those are suggesting some more non-canon arcs?
And yo! What's the deal with that creepy little disappearing child? Any guesses on who she is?
Till next time,
-Unbred
Stats for nerds: 86,989 views, 957 follows, 792 favorites, 438 reviews
Originally Published on 8/18/2022
Prophecy edits made on 9/19/2022