Characters belong to Rick Riordan.
16 - Poseidon
"We have been over this, Athena," Poseidon said wearily. "I do not agree with their marriage any more than you do, but I am not offended to the point of alienating our best mortal weapon." Most of the other Olympians sat bored on their thrones, some half-listening to the recurring argument, most ignoring them.
"My honor is more important than your weapon's peace of mind!" Athena yelled.
"You are both hopeless," Aphrodite interrupted. "Theirs is the greatest love story since Paris and Helen! Nothing you can do is going to destroy them."
"That is ridiculous! We managed to tear apart Orpheus and Eurydice, did we not?" Athena retorted. The goddess huffed in irritation and started muttering to herself. "No spawn of mine disowns me. Foolish, ungrateful girl."
"Just because I did better work than you does not mean I am wrong," Aphrodite airily retorted. Athena flushed in anger.
"Nothing lasts forever, least of all your influence," Athena snarled.
"Fine, I will prove it!" Aphrodite snapped. Before Poseidon could interrupt, Aphrodite snapped her fingers. With a bright flash of light, Percy and Annabeth appeared in the middle of the throne room. Their clothes were splattered with paint, two cans of which were knocked over beside them. Percy was upright, apparently in the middle of reaching up to paint a wall, while Annabeth was crouched nearby, a roll of painter's tape hung on her arm.
In an instant, the two dropped their brushes and drew their blades, standing back to back as they analyzed their new surroundings. Poseidon noticed the paint rise out of the cans and whirl about the demigods' legs. After a moment of shocked silence from both immortals and mortals alike, Percy and Annabeth lowered their weapons. The paint slowed, then returned to the cans. Poseidon looked at his son's face and flinched at the hard, angry look in his eyes.
"What the Styx?!" Percy bit out. "What reason could you possibly have for tearing us out of our home?" Zeus' eyes narrowed.
"Your parents keep saying you are not going to last together and I want you to prove them wrong!" Aphrodite waved her hands animatedly as she answered. Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other before looking back to Aphrodite.
"You mean to say," Annabeth started slowly, "that the only reason we were flashed without warning out of our home on an otherwise peaceful day was to settle a petty argument?" Her tone was cold as ice. Aphrodite seemed to realize she had possibly made a mistake and wilted slightly.
"You would do well not to speak to us that way," Zeus warned. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as the two demigods turned to look at him. Poseidon glanced at the hearth and saw Hestia frantically working to maintain the flames. He returned his attention to Percy, concerned.
"You would do well to get castrated, or at least get a vasectomy," Percy retorted. Silence rang. Poseidon was shocked at the audacity of the statement. He could see many of his fellow Olympians were flickering between outrage and astonishment. Zeus, however, was enraged.
"You dare?!" he thundered. "I should banish you to Tartarus for your insolence."
Percy snorted. "Yeah, how'd that work out for you last time?"
Zeus snapped his gaze to Poseidon, then Athena. "Teach them a lesson in humility." Athena immediately summon her spear and Aegis, shrinking down to mortal size and stalking towards the demigods. Annabeth raised her drakon bone sword and moved to engage as Percy looked to Poseidon challengingly.
"Well, father?" he said. "Will you show your true colors?"
Poseidon did not want to engage his son, but he knew for the greater good of Olympus that this needed to be done. He shrunk as well, his trident shimmering into existence in his grip. "I wish this were not needed, son."
Percy snarled and hefted his sword. "You will be."
Almost before Poseidon could react, Percy was upon him. Anaklusmos swung in a dangerous arc towards his shoulder. He spun his trident, barely deflecting the blade, and retreated a step. The two traded blows, the god defending against the angry onslaught. Athena's fight was going about as well. Annabeth was less than intimidated by the Aegis, and she had trained with Thalia on and off for a decade. She danced around the goddess' spear strikes, landing her own testing blows against Athena's shield and armor.
Poseidon quickly focused back on his own duel after a particularly close strike that almost lost him a couple fingers. The difference between fighting with a spear and fighting with a trident was minimal, as you needed to be fast to stab an opponent or very strong to bludgeon them. Even as a mortal, Percy moved like lightening, dancing around his opponents before striking with a vengeance. Had Poseidon known his son had grown this powerful, he would have considered a better strategy. As it was, he was pushed to his limits to maintain the current stalemate.
After what felt like years but was probably minutes, Percy landed a sizable blow, cutting a deep gash into Poseidon's bicep. The god gasped at the pain and instinctively summoned the power of the sea. A ring of water blasted out with Poseidon at the center. As Poseidon focused on his wound, he felt a shadow loom over him. His eyes widened as Percy stabbed completely through his thigh, ripping his blade out and spinning off to the side out of range. Poseidon fell to a kneeling position as his ichor painted the floor.
I should have realized water would not have pushed him back. Poseidon grimaced. Never have I fought an opponent who holds my own powers. If there was something I could do that would cut him off for just a moment, I could take the advantage. As Percy watched warily, Poseidon looked over to Athena's battle. Annabeth had the goddess retreating around the throne room, covered in nicks and cuts that made her skin shimmer golden as she moved. Poseidon realized the only way to win was to trade opponents, but he knew that would break his oath on the Styx, as well as his last tie to Percy.
So be it, Poseidon decided. Styx is forbidden to act against us anymore, and Perseus needs to be controlled. With a grunt, Poseidon surged upwards, swinging out with his trident. Percy moved to block, realizing too late the summoned wave wasn't aimed at him. The water crashed against Annabeth, throwing her across the room to slam into a pillar. Athena rushed to take advantage of his attack as Poseidon met eyes with Perseus.
Suddenly there was a tremendous roar in his ears. Poseidon squeezed his eyes shut against a sudden case of vertigo and felt himself careen across the room. He heard a crack as he slammed into something solid and wasn't sure if it came from him or whatever he hit. He vaguely heard another great crack and Athena's own grunt of pain and figured she'd been thrown as well. While his thoughts were a bit muddled with pain, Poseidon knew he had miscalculated. Styx herself may not punish him, but Percy would certainly end up as her proxy.
As his head cleared, Poseidon opened his eyes and sat up with a groan. It felt like at least a couple of his ribs were broken, as well as his right arm. He looked to see what he collided with and felt a wave of fear roll over him. Perseus had thrown him into his throne, which was now so damaged as to be useless as a seat of power. Now I know why I feel so weak.
A quick glance confirmed Athena's throne had met a similar fate. Her spear lay snapped beside her. Poseidon looked across the room to see Perseus helping Annabeth to sit up, holding a gentle hand to her side and murmuring words of comfort into her ear as she grimaced. Perseus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flask, offering it to his wife. She took a swig from it and color immediately returned to her face. As Perseus returned the flask of what was obviously nectar to his pocket, Annabeth stood up. With a quick stretch, she reclaimed her sword from where it flew and rejoined Perseus in the middle of the throne room, where the rest of the Olympians were staring at them with shock, anger, and not a small amount of fear.
"Anyone else want to try?" Perseus taunted. Zeus glanced around the throne room and flushed as the other gods made it obvious they wanted nothing to do with the two demigods before them. Athena struggled to rise, hate twisting her feature into a grim snarl. Annabeth glanced over and pulled something off of her necklace. In a moment, she held a bent piece of wood, roughly the size and shape of a large boomerang.
"Tyet," she said calmly as she pointed the stick at Athena. Instantly the goddess was wrapped in thick chains and fell back to the ground. A gag materialized around her mouth. With a nod, Annabeth touched the rod to her collarbone and it returned to a simple charm.
"What magic is this?" Hera demanded to know. "That was no spell I know of."
Annabeth glanced at the queen of heavens and raised an eyebrow. "Egyptian." All color drained from Hera's face.
"Back to the point at hand," Perseus interrupted. "You've consistently and constantly disrupted our lives with various quests, requests, and inane demands. That ends today. The next we face any of you we will send you to Tartarus."
"Are you threatening us, mortal?" Zeus asked angrily.
"You don't get it, do you?" Annabeth rebutted. "You can't beat us. No matter what you try, no matter who you send, we'll come out on top."
"Did you know," Perseus said casually, "that only four mortals have ever left Tartarus alive? Us two, Nico, and Houdini. The difference is that only the two of us actually escaped on our own merits. Nico was captured and carried out by Otus and Ephialtes, while Houdini made a deal with Hecate."
"While they did see and increase to their powers," Annabeth took over, "it's not nearly as much as what happened to us. Nothing escapes Tartarus without getting stronger; it's his way of ensuring only the toughest monsters escape to wreak havoc for the mortals."
"In our case, it means we've unlocked the fullest extent of our powers," Percy finished. "Annabeth was already crazy smart, but now? She could plan her way out of a situation that would stump Prometheus. Weaving spells together? Piece of cake. As for me," here he paused. "Well, I've claimed the Stormbringer title as my own. You've seen the power I have to back it up."
Zeus was livid upon his throne. "No pair of mortals could ever be as close to the gods as you claim. Stand down now and I will consider not reducing you to ashes."
"You really don't get it, do you." It was more of a statement that a question. Perseus shook his head in disappointment. "In Tartarus, I could have drowned Ahklys in her own poisons. Annabeth outmaneuvered Nyx. We made it through the Mansion of Night itself. We stood in the presence of the physical embodiment of Tartarus and escaped. You're not a threat anymore."
Ringing silence followed the statement. Poseidon felt his energy continuing to drain out of him, along with the ichor still streaming from his leg and arm.
"Now, since I'm assuming the incident with Richie was a plan to either crush our spirits or kill us without 'directly interfering', it's our turn to give you one last warning. Cross us again and die." Annabeth stated firmly. Zeus kept eye contact with the demigods for a moment before twisting his face in rage and rearing back his arm to strike them with his master bolt. Poseidon watched as Perseus opened his mouth…
With a start, Poseidon came to. He glanced around the room to see the rest of the Olympians deep in sleep. He felt extremely drained. Looking down, his leg had scabbed over, as had his arm. The sea god frowned, but before he could ponder that he heard someone enter the throne room. He stood and turned to face the intruder but paled as he realized who it was.
"Styx," he said quietly.
"Indeed," the river goddess replied. In looks, she reminded him of a cross between himself and Hades, with pale skin and long, dark hair framing a face with deep ocean eyes. Her lips crooked into a cruel smile as he stared at her.
With a snap of her fingers, the rest of the Olympians came to, some with gasps, others with groans, still others silently as they scanned the room. As Zeus laid eyes on Styx, he flushed.
"How are you here?" he asked. "I banished you centuries ago."
"And yet, here I am," Styx replied. "800 years of broken oaths I have been forced to ignore, but no longer. You have finally crossed me for the last time." She send a sickening smile to Poseidon. "Breaking an Oath against the Union? Very poor choice."
Poseidon shuddered at her look. "What union?" Styx tutted and shook her head in disappointment.
"Surely you all remember the prophecies? The Great Union that will herald the end of the world? The Titans withdrew us from the rest of the pantheons because of it. Do not tell me you solidified that separation for wanting to believe you were the only immortals to exist? How truly foolish."
"I demand you tell us what is going on!" Zeus yelled.
"So impatient," Styx said calmly. "You would be better off asking Phoebus than myself. I am only here to give you another warning."
"And what warning is that?" Hera asked before Zeus could start yelling again.
Styx drew herself up tall. "A message from the three sisters as well as She who controls their loom: you will have only one more chance. Scorn the Great Union again, and any mercy they may harbor will burn away as mist in the afternoon sun." As Styx turned to leave the throne room, she paused. "Just so you know, you all lost two weeks under the thrall of Perseus' siren song." With that, the goddess vanished.
"Two weeks?!" Ares shouted.
"And by siren song, no less," Hermes muttered. "Just how powerful is he now?"
"I do not think we want to find out," Hephaestus grumbled.
"Apollo," Zeus said solemnly.
"Yes, father?" he replied.
"What prophecies do your oracles have on this Great Union?" The younger gods stared at Zeus in bewilderment. Poseidon worried himself; it was not often Zeus admitted to not knowing something.
"I am not sure," Apollo said slowly. "I do not often keep conscious communication with them. You want me to ask?"
Zeus nodded. "The term is familiar, but I cannot remember from where. If it truly was something our parents discussed, I would have only heard snippets as I pretended to be their cup bearer."
"As you wish," Apollo replied. He closed his eyes for a moment before a frown came to his face. "How odd… they do not wish to speak on the matter yet. Apparently this topic involves the Prophecy to end all prophecies. Once uttered, each oracle will fade and we will be without any further guidance."
The Olympians blanched at the information. Zeus shifted uncomfortably on his throne. "Are any willing to speak at all?"
Apollo communed with his oracles for another moment or two before nodding slowly. "Erythaea grows tired. No one asks of her anymore. Be warned, though, as her riddles are usually the most difficult to understand. We will not get a second chance to ask her."
Zeus thought for a moment. "So be it." Apollo waved his hand and with a flash of light, the shade of a woman who appeared to be in midlife materialized in the throne room. She curtsied first to Zeus, then to Apollo.
"Erythaea…" Apollo spoke with a voice full of sorrow. "You have served faithfully for these millennia. Are you sure you are willing to do this?"
The oracle nodded. "It is time. I must speak as Fate commands."
Apollo smiled sadly. "Then I thank you for your service. May you find peace in whatever realm follows this one." He turned to Zeus and motioned for him to ask.
"Oracle of Erythaea," Zeus stated formally, "what do we need to know of the Great Union?" The oracle began to glow with yellow, phantasmal flames. When she spoke, her voice seemed to be choked with glass:
Title of Alexander of Macedonia, 8 letters, 2 words.
The Confederacy fought them in the American Civil War, 5 letters
To smite an enemy for the sake of a fallen comrade, 7 letters, ends with an added s.
The mountain of the gods, 7 letters.
Hired or volunteer helpers who assist patrons of the theatre in finding their seats, 6 letters.
Stereotypical threat in western movies that ends with "line", 3 words, 8 letters.
Plural form of what heroes typically try to save, 6 letters.
Upon finishing the prophecy, the phantom flames flared too bright to look at. When they died down, the spirit of the oracle was nowhere to be seen. Apollo hung his head in grief. Hephaestus muttered through the words under his breath. Athena frowned in confusion, though she seemed to be affected greater than Poseidon by the loss of her throne. It was likely that drain was causing her difficulties.
"Athena?" Zeus asked after a moment of silence.
"I… believe I have it now." She sounded shaken, something that scared Poseidon. "It is not ideal."
"Spit it out, woman," Ares grunted. Athena took a deep breath.
"First hint, 'The Great' was Alexander's title. Second hint, the confederacy fought the Union, as the north called itself. Third, likely 'avenges', as revenge cannot be put into-"
"No one cares about the details!" Ares interrupted. "What is the answer?" Athena gave him an unimpressed look.
"Assuming I understand all of the references, the answer reads 'The Great Union avenges Olympus and ushers in the end of the worlds.'".