Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
Consul of the Underworld: Grinding Phase
Chapter Five: Godly Beat'em Up
Beta: ShadowofAxios
"Ugh." Percy groaned as he struggled to push himself up into a sitting position.
"Careful there, Percy." Alkaid told the boy as she looked on from his bedside. "You're still recovering."
The son of Poseidon frowned even as his exhausted, recovering body forced him to collapse back onto his pillows in frustration.
"Here's your daily dose of medicine." The daughter of Hades said with an amused smirk at the boy's stubborn antics.
"What-" he said as he looked at the liquid. He frowned and looked back at her.
"Don't worry. It's only a 'poison' that will burn you inside out." She assured him, her emerald eyes dancing with mirth.
"Haha. Very funny, Alkaid." The boy deadpanned.
"I'm told that I'm the funny one of the family, so thank you. Now stop stalling. You're not going to be slaying monsters staying in bed."
Percy just huffed and obediently downed the vial of Pit Scorpion antidote.
"How long was I out this time?" He asked, his face scrunched up as the he downed the awful tasting potion.
"A few hours. Chase said she wanted to check in on you, so I'll go call her for you." Alkaid said as she turned to leave.
"Uh. Actually, could I talk to you for a while first?"
She turned around, an eyebrow cocked as she stared at him.
The son of Poseidon shifted in the bed. Clearly he wasn't sure what to say.
"Out with it Percy," Alkaid told him as if she was his teacher again.
"Well, I, um, just wanted to apologize you know." The boy said haltingly. "For the way I talked to you back at Santa Monica. I, uh, jumped the gun there."
"Oh, that? Not a problem." Alkaid brushed off his worry without a care.
At least not for me. He better be careful when dealing with Pyrrha though, she's still holding a grudge for the way he accused us of being responsible for what happened to L.A.
It was funny since holding grudges was her job. Then again, Alkaid was more than mollified by Percy's close run-in with death via deadly Underworld creature. She couldn't shake the feeling that the Fates had made Luke choose a Pit Scorpion as his tool of assassination as a subtle nod to her.
Now, if only I knew what they were trying to say. Or if I'm just overthinking things.
"To be honest, it was more amusing to see Chase trying so hard to scare me." The daughter of Hades giggled.
"I, well, I need to talk to you. I mean, you know what was going on right?" He asked her, his eyes seeming desperate for confirmation of his suspicions.
"You mean with our dearest Grandfather being on the rise? And that our Uncle, the King of Olympus brushed it off as if it didn't matter?"
He nodded, his eyes wide.
"Exactly!"
"Of course," Alkaid argreed.
"It's not just him." Percy said seriously. "The gods all don't seem to care. Even my dad brushed me off."
The daughter of Hades sighed, "Percy, please. Not all the gods are as stubborn as our Uncle. In fact, most of them are extremely paranoid. Already my Father is preparing his army. Other gods no doubt are preparing their own forces."
"Well, good for them. But I don't see many of them doing anything."
Resisting the urge to palm her face in frustration at her young cousin's immaturity, Alkaid said, "That's because they can't do so openly. With our Uncle actively ignoring the threat, they must do it in secret. To do it openly would attract his attention and invite accusations of planning a coup or some such nonsense. So mum's the word here."
"That's stupid." Percy insisted.
"Welcome to politics." Alkaid said with mirth. She always did like her fair share of political machinations. "On that note, you really should follow the gods' lead and learn to be discrete in your preparations before you run afoul of the nasty politics that our Uncle has stirred up with his denial."
"Huh?" The son of Poseidon said, looking thoroughly confused.
"Be smart and tactful, Percy."
"Oh."
Shaking her head in amusement at his antics, Alkaid once more turned to leave.
"A-Alkaid, wait. I want to talk a little more!"
The daughter of Hades obligingly turned around to see that her cousin was blushing up a storm. Deciding she deserved some fun at his expense, she smirked playfully and teasingly said. "So you want to talk with me, huh?"
The thirteen year old's blush became practically glowing as he nodded. "Y-Yeah."
He's so easy to tease. I bet he's going to be absolute fun to have around. Alkaid thought with amusement as she leaned against the door frame. She crossed her arms under her bust and leaned towards him, giving him a slightly better view.
"Uh, I." He swallowed heavily as he tried to speak.
Taking a little pity on him, Alkaid decided to fill in the conversation for him. "From what I've heard, your adventure brought your questmates closer together."
Of course, she wasn't totally giving up on teasing the living daylights out of him so she combined this with leaning back against the door frame once more but this time a tad more sensually.
Licking his clearly dry lips, Percy stammered out a reply. "Y-yeah, it, uh, did."
"Especially with Chase, right?" Alkaid said leadingly while suddenly abandoning all pretense of being a seductress and switching gears to being the disapproving teacher.
His reaction was priceless. He looked like he swallowed a lemon. "Y-Yes."
Alkaid stifled a resigned sigh. She disliked Percy's attraction to Chase. Very much so. She could already see where it would lead. It didn't escape her notice that Percy had the tendency to put himself down and over exaggerate the abilities of those he trusted. She could only imagine that would be much worse if that other person was his romantic partner. A worrisome fact in most situations, but when that person was a child of Athena and was burdened with the Fatal Flaw for hubris? Well, the possibilities of any such relationship becoming toxic was a cause of grave concern.
"Just be careful, Percy." The older demigod told him sincerely. "That girl is liable to break your heart."
"What?! I don't-! Come on, Alkaid." He brushed her off as his face reddened, "We're just friends."
"You say that now. Just keep my advice in mind, would you? Trust me when I say that it's likely to prove useful in the future."
His sea green eyes narrowed a bit, "Does Hades have some love domain?"
"No, just woman's intuition."
"Okay. Moving on!" Percy said loudly. "So Grover and Annabeth made up. They talked and she's not blaming him for what happened when they came to Camp anymore."
"Alright." Alkaid nodded, not really caring but she decided to humor him. "I'm sure Luke is a wonderful outlet for them to both hate on together. The little fool deserves it."
Percy looked at his lap, where his hands had tightened around the sheets.
"I can't believe he was the Lightning Thief."
Alkaid shook her head, "Luke's bitterness got the better of him. Grandfather capitalized on that and now he has become just another puppet. Trust me, if my Father ever got a hold of him, his suffering will be on a whole new level."
"And he'll deserve it." Percy said grimly.
Alkaid smiled, the boy had certainly gone through a bit of growing up during his quest.
"On to brighter news, I've been hired as a part-time trainer at Camp." The tall woman informed him with a quirked lip.
He blinked at her owlishly, "A-Are you sure the Campers are cool with that? I mean, are they still treating you like an outcast?"
"Some are nervous. Still, some have bothered to get to know me and have opened up. If only a little." She shrugged. It wasn't much but it was still an improvement from before. "It certainly helped that Chiron admitted he was wrong to treat me the way he did. He was reluctant about it but he did end up declaring me blameless for everything."
It was amusing to see him squirm. Alkaid thought with dark humor as she recalled how the centaur was made to eat humble pie. She was slightly appeased, but she hadn't forgiven him entirely yet.
"Anyways, you rest up. You have a few days left before school correct? Chiron will want to make sure there aren't any side effects. Ta-ta for now."
She winked at him and walked out with a sway of her hips.
Hearing his audible gulp just made her giggle.
Gods, Percy was going to be fun to tease.
"So he's in the wrestling ring?" Pyrrha asked Alkaid, as the two headed over to the aforementioned ring.
"Yes. He said he wanted to and I quote 'get back into the groove.'" Alkaid agreed. "He just got out of the infirmary though, so I want to check up on him. I believe he is leaving Camp tomorrow. So now is probably the best time."
"I don't see what's so special about him." Pyrrha huffed in annoyance.
Mischief in her eyes, Alkaid leaned against her girlfriend, "Are you jealous, Pyrrha dearest?"
"Of what? Some pit-stain?" Pyrrha grunted. "Like hell."
"Don't you fret, Pyrrha! You know my eyes are on you. Day and night." She wiggled her brows temptingly and earned herself a blushing child of Ares.
"Just come on, Kaidy!" She hurried ahead with a tittering brunette trailing after her at a more sedate pace.
They arrived there to find the son of Poseidon beating one of Pyrrha's brothers in the ring.
"Hmm, Jackson's actually pretty decent. Sherman's good in the ring." Cabin Five's Head Counselor observed, sounding slightly impressed.
"A compliment for the so called 'pit-stain'?"
"Shut up." Pyrrha playfully nudged her.
"Alkaid, Pyrrha!" Percy greeted with a wave as he noticed them.
"Hello Percy," Alkaid greeted, while her girlfriend just nodded. "How are you feeling? All better?"
"Yup." Percy reassured her, before smirking confidently. "Did you see me in the ring? I'm totally back to top form."
Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say a scathing remark, but Alkaid's look made her hold her tongue.
"I'm sure you are. I just wanted to check for myself. I'm glad you've made a full recovery."
"Yeah, thanks." The son of Poseidon said and grinned at her. "You want to go a round?"
The redhead stifled a laugh, covering her mouth as she looked to the side.
Glaring at her, Alkaid looked down at Percy and smiled, "Are you sure? I can be slippery."
The boy's face turned a bit red but he just nodded.
Shrugging, Alkaid walked to the ring along with her cousin.
It only lasted for a minute before Percy managed to pin her. Having her in such an compromising position caused some of the more hormonal guys around the ring to wolf whistle and that had the son of Poseidon blushing brightly once more. Despite that however it was impossible to miss the pride that Percy exuded at what he had accomplished. Alkaid felt a little bad about it but decided to bring him back down to Earth. It wouldn't do for him to grow a big head.
"I'm not that skilled in CQC, Percy." She teasingly informed him. "In fact, I'm quite useless at it."
He looked at her with a wide eyed look and pouted.
"Then what are you really good at? Archery or something?"
Alkaid winked and tapped the side of her nose with an index finger, "A magician never reveals her secrets."
He flustered at that.
"So you only do magic?"
"Something like that."
As the summer break was nearing its end, Alkaid and Pyrrha travelled to one of the Fire Temples in Mumbai in their capacities as Olympus' Ambassadors-at-Large to get an update on the situation with Angra Mainyu. The daughter of Hades had contacted Ahura Mazda a few days ago to get said update but had instead been asked to travel to India and visit one of the active Zoroastrian Fire Temples to get the information they needed.
With the use of an International Portkey, the couple was in India within a day.
Walking into the inner sanctum of the elaborate temple, the two Greek demigods found themselves before a large flaming brazier.
"Man this is very different from our Temples." Pyrrha said as she spun around, looking at everything.
"It's a different culture. Of course it's different." Alkaid told her as she examined the brazier more closely.
There was a shift in the air and Alkaid froze for a brief moment.
"Kaidy…"
The daughter of Hades grit her teeth as she looked all around them. Much to her dismay, Shadow Men were crawling out of the darkness like zombies. They couldn't even escape to the entrance of the temple as a large figure now stood before the doors.
He was at least eight feet tall with a rotund body. Though instead of a human head, he was sporting an elephant head that was wearing a jeweled headdress.
"Alkaid Potter, Pyrrha Branwen, in the name of Lord Angra Mainyu, I, Aka Manah, am here to deal his justice upon you." The chimera said as he strode into the room authoritatively.
"Come on, again?!" Pyrrha glowered as she drew her lybras.
"I doubt Lord Mazda will enjoy hearing about this, Lord Aka Manah." Alkaid tersely stated as she pulled out her Grimoire.
"Mazda forgets his place!" The dark god barked, even as he stopped a few feet away from the two women and joined the Shadow Men, closing the ring of enemies around them. "He thinks to order Lord Mainyu around as a servant but he forgets that they are equal adversaries. His word has no bearing on My Lord's actions."
"So eager for war I see. Is he that petty?" Alkaid goaded him.
The elephant headed man just smiled, revealing a mouth full of vicious fangs. "You truly know nothing about us daevas if you even ask that question. We are manifestations of evil and chaos. We thrive in war. Why then would we not seek it out?"
Deciding that the time for banter was over, Alkaid prepared for battle.
"Pyrrha, don't let the Shadow Men touch you! They drain your life!" The brunette shouted as she summoned a card and slammed her grimoire closed around it. "Cleansing Light!"
At her bidding, a burst of light erupted from the sorceress that caused the shadowy creatures to recoil as their bodies began smoking from exposure to the healing light, unfortunately it failed to do much else. Despite Alkaid's proficiency as a magic user, her alignment to shadow and death from her nature as a daughter of Hades meant any light based spell she used was weak at best. Something that was going to deeply hamper her in this fight.
"Wonderful." The redhead growled as she inched away from from the recovering Shadow Men and setting a trio of the monsters on fire with Miló as they closed.
"Use the bombs I gave you." Alkaid reminded her lover even as she pulled out a new spell card and tossed it at the cautiously advancing horde of Shadow Men. "Elmekia Lance: Phalanx Formation!"
At her invocation, an entire armory worth of lances of light appeared in a ring around her and Pyrrha. They spun around the two women for a moment before hurtling through the air like bullets to impale their enemies. Most of the Shadow Men proved remarkably able acrobats and managed to avoid the projectiles but a handful were nicked and spontaneously exploded into clouds of dark mist that quickly dissipated. For his part Aka Manah just swatted the trio of lances that flew in his direction out of the air with his bare hands.
While the enemy were suitably distracted, Pyrrha activated Akoúo̱ and pulled out a handful of small glass orbs filled with swirling liquid. Without any fanfare she threw the bombs into the throng of Shadow Men. As soon as the glass containing the volatile alchemical concoctions Alkaid had brewed shattered, a cluster of explosions rippled through the enemy ranks.
As befitting the work of a budding alchemist, the detonations created a range of varied effects. Some Shadow Men had been turned to stone. Others found themselves covered in acid though they seemed not to care as their skin bubbled from the corrosive liquid. Others still were on fire though like their acid coated brethren these seemed unaffected by the deadly substance that covered their skin. Just like with their earlier attack however Aka Manah had weathered it unscathed, having called up a aura of darkness to shield himself from harm.
"Holy shit!" Pyrrha shouted as she summoned more explosives.
Before she could lob them however, the temple's door flew open as a rush of wind cut through the room.
The Shadow Men fell to pieces as if they had been finely diced.
"Uh, Kaidy?"
"Don't look at me. I wish I could do that." Alkaid commented as she placed even more layers of defensive magic over herself and Pyrrha. Just to be safe.
A golden blur appeared before Aka Manah who was cloaked in his aura and holding his right hand up in the air fending off the blur. Suddenly the blur settled, to reveal the form of the Greek messenger god Hermes with his caduceus raised to bash the elephant head of the demon god in. Unfortunately, his symbol was being held back by said dark god's aura enshrouded hand.
"Aw, and that was rush ordered for your brain." Hermes, dressed in a mailman outfit, smiled impishly.
"As if I would be so easily struck down, little insect!"
"So this isn't your ichor?" Hermes asked as he held up a golden sword stained in black fluids.
Aka Manah was bewildered as he patted his stomach where a stab wound had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"When did he…?" Alkaid's mouth opened in astonishment.
"You'll pay for that, you annoying brat!" The Persian god bellowed as his eyes glowed with a dark aura.
Hermes was like the wind and in the blink of an eye he was already a good distance away. "Whoa now, no need to threaten a little guy like me."
"Silence!" The dark god said, his voice echoing not just through the air but through the minds of all present. At once, everything fell quiet. Hermes' mouth snapped shut. The snakes on his caduceus stopped hissing. Alkaid's ever racing mind stilled. Even the flame in the brazier stopped making sound even as it continued to burn.
Fighting through his mental command through sheer stubborn will was so exhausting that it left Alkaid panting for breath, even as her mind started to sluggishly start thinking again. By the Pit! That was the most powerful mental attack I've ever seen!
"Get out of my head!" Hermes yelled, having likewise fought pass the daeva's attack and blurred forward to charge his enemy. His sword stabbed nothing more than a quickly dissipating illusion however as the dark god's laughter echoed throughout the room and the minds of its occupants.
"You have picked a fight with the wrong daeva, Greek." The psychic god sneered. "Your precious speed and cleverness count for naught against me. The speed of thought is faster than even you and my control of the mind will easily turn your own scheming against you."
Slumping to her knees, the brunette shook her head as she fought to fight off the lingering effects of Aka Manah's influence. Looking to the side, her lover was on her hands and knees, panting as if she had ran a marathon. Her body was shivering as her lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Then I just won't scheme." Hermes shouted defiantly. "And let's test whether you really can keep up with my speed!"
With that taunt, the messenger god blurred once more as he raced around the room.
"Multi-Defenser!" Alkaid screamed as she called on her defensive spell just in time to protect Pyrrha and herself from Hermes' reckless sword thrusts. They shattered the first two barriers of her multi-layered barrier in seconds and was making quick work of the rest. The god was attacking everything in the room in his desperate bid to get at the daeva, including it seemed his allies.
"Lord Hermes! Stop!" Alkaid cried out desperately as her defense crumbled.
"Fool speedster. Perhaps you should look at just who you are attacking."
"What-!?" The god of travelers gasped in shock mid thrust as he froze directly over the two women huddled within Alkaid's spell. "Alkaid, Pyrrha? How? I thought I was attacking Manah!"
"It seems you didn't just stop scheming, but thinking altogether." The elephant headed god mocked as he materialized on the other side of the room. "To think you'd fall for such a simple illusion."
Hermes sent them an apologetic look before jumping back into the fight. He blurred towards the daeva only to collapse halfway there and clutched his head in agony.
"No! NO! NO! I will not let that happen!" The god screamed as golden ichor began to pour from his nose. "My family wILL NOT DIE!"
"But can you possibly stop it, puny god?" The Persian asked with malicious kindness. "How could someone like you, the overlooked bastard of a lowly nymph, the errand boy, the joke, ever hope to stand up against the Crooked One?"
The mighty Hermes broke into sobs.
"It's all true. I'm nothing more than a joke to the rest of the Council. The comedy relief. I'm weak." The god cried out, revealing what must been one of his deepest sources of insecurity.
"Yes, and because of that weakness all you love will di-"
Aka Manah never got a chance to finish his damning words before his whole head was consumed by a column of flames courtesy of Miló.
"Ass. Hole." Pyrrha panted as she held up her wrist. "Kick his ass, Lord Hermes. You can do it!"
Alkaid wasn't sure she agreed. It was obvious that this was a terrible match up for the messenger god. The psychic powers of the daeva was just something that he had no ready counter for. If he was Athena or one of the other gods versed in the mind arts then maybe they had a chance, but outside of clever trickery Hermes had no skill in that regard. A fact that was proving quite the major disadvantage.
"Thanks girls." Hermes said as he shakily got back to his feet and glared at his opponent who was absentmindedly smothering any lingering flames that clung to his body. "Ready for round two?"
"Certainly." The daeva said with a smirk, as he finished patting out the last of the embers.
Pyrrha was muttering prayers under her breath, her eyes glued on the combatants. The brunette was stuck by an idea as she turned to the brazier that was still standing despite Hermes' whirlwind of attacks.
Clasping her hands together, Alkaid began to pray as well.
The two gods readied themselves for another clash. Hermes' form began to blur at the edges as he prepared to utilise his speed while Aka Manah's aura writhed in sick anticipation. They were interrupted before they got going however when the fire in the brazier that was the heart of the temple transformed into a pillar of flame and unleashed a burst of light so intense that everyone was blinded.
"All conflict will CEASE!"
As the word echoed through the halls of the temple, all present felt the crushing weight of the word. It was like the weight of the world was pressing down on them, commanding them to obey. Both Alkaid and Pyrrha fell prostrate immediately. Hermes froze and bowed his head in respect. Even Manah dipped his head, even as he scowled in displeasure.
Standing in the middle of the room, glowing mightily, was Mazda himself, a large frown on his face.
"Aka Manah, I am most displeased with you today." The supreme Zoroastrian god said as he loomed over the lesser god of his pantheon.
The deava sneered but said nothing.
The lord of creation didn't seem to expect a reply however and just glared at the elephant headed god. "You'll be having words with me after this. I would like to explain my displeasure. In excruciating detail. Await me in my office. Mithra will let you in."
"As you command, Lord of the Ahuras." The daeva said, emphasizing the last word. A clear reminder that while he recognized Mazda's authority, he did not see him as his lord. With his point made, the dark god teleported away.
Mazda seemed satisfied with this and nodded before turning to face the Greeks.
"So, sorry about the mess?" Hermes said to Mazda.
The leader of the Persian gods waved it off. "Do not worry about that, Lord Hermes. It is I who should apologize for allowing a diplomatic meeting to transform into a ambush."
"How did that happen, anyways?"
"Mainyu of course." The god of light explained with a frustrated sigh. "He somehow managed to hack into Mithra's system and messed up my schedule for today. He then distracted me with a petty matter so I didn't notice as Miss Potter and Miss Branwen arrived. As such, I wasn't even aware that the ladies, much less your august self, were even in India until the fight was well underway."
"I see." Hermes nodded along with a sympathetic smile. Alkaid did the same, she too could understand having to deal with reckless hotheads undermining diplomatic overtures.
"My Lords, if I might cut in." At nods from both gods, Alkaid continued. "May I know what is the situation with Lord Mainyu now?"
The Persian god shot her an apologetic look."I'm afraid Miss Potter that it is not as good as you might hope. I've managed to have him swear an Oath on his being that he will stay out of the affairs of the Greeks in the future."
"Only the affairs of the Greeks?" Hermes asked, shooting Pyrrha and Alkaid worried looks. Alkaid understood the implication. The terms technically did not cover them, not when they were operating within the spheres of influences of other pantheons. Even Pyrrha seemed to get it as she grit her teeth in anger.
"Yes. He refused outright to even consider expanding it to cover Olympus."
"Damn." The Greek god of messengers cussed. "That still gives him plenty of leeway."
"I am aware. However, it was the best I could get from him." The Persian confessed. "I'm afraid we'll just have to live with it."
"It is regrettable." Alkaid agreed. "But we nevertheless thank you for your assistance."
"It was my pleasure." The lord of creation assured them, before glancing at his watch. "I apologize ladies, Lord Hermes, I had planned to show the girls some of my hospitality but with recent developments I must make a move. Perhaps next time?"
Both demigoddesses politely nodded.
"For now, feel free to use this temple for as long as you need. Once again, it was my pleasure to be of assistance and a great one to have you as my guests. May I see you again soon."
With that, the Persian god vanished in a pillar of flame.
"And I thought Dad was dramatic." Hermes shook his head in rueful amusement. Turning to the girls, the god of messengers flashed them an apologetic look, "So, about almost killing you guys. That was an accident. I mean, seriously, if we lost Alkaid here we would have been in deep trouble. That's why I came, you know. To save her, uh, I mean both of you!"
The god pinched his nose to stop the bleeding even as he blushed lightly at his blunder before adding. "So, anyways, I was delivering a message up in our old stomping grounds over in Afghanistan when I saw you gals in trouble and decided to pop in."
"Thank you, Lord Hermes." Alkaid said with a grateful bow that Pyrrha emulated.
"Don't worry about it, Cousin. I had to do it. See diplomacy is kinda our biggest weakness. Mainly because Dad's a real dick and ruins it every time. And I mean every time. So we really, really need you. So keep up the good work, okay? We're counting on you. Bye!"
Before Alkaid could ask Hermes for more clarification, he was gone in a burst of speed.
"I was going to ask about benefits." Alkaid wrinkled her nose.
"I think it's just us getting to live. And clean up shit." Pyrrha said as she stood by her, her hands resting behind her head.
Rubbing her temples, the daughter of Hades said, "I'm inclined to agree. Shall we at least enjoy the scenery before heading home?"
"Do ya even have to ask?"
After a few days in India, with a lot of shopping. The most notable of which being some rather alluring traditional Indian clothing like saris and fashionable anarkali suits for each of them, the couple arrived back in Camp looking rather pleased with their mini-vacation.
They found it mostly empty, save for the twenty or so campers that remained to stay year round.
"So Kaidy. Other than that mishap at the start of the summer, how'd you like Camp?"
"It's not my idea of fun." Alkaid replied honestly. "If not for the need to help the Campers prepare for Grandfather's return I'd never have agreed to stay or work here. Even part-time."
Pyrrha fingered her leather necklace and the string of Camp beads that hung from it, "At least you got one of these."
"Yes. I'm elated." Alkaid deadpanned, before sarcastically adding. "They match my aesthetic style perfectly."
"We'll make some skull beads for you." Pyrrha grinned at her.
"Very funny, Py. You're hilarious."
The redhead's grin just grew broader.
Their moment of levity was interrupted however when a satyr cantered over to them. "Miss Potter, um, there's a letter for you. Mr. D- Uh right he said to call him Lord Dionysus when I told you. Anyways, he said that it's important. Something about your family."
Alkaid blinked. It looked like Mr. D was playing games even as he gave hints. I guess he must really be bored if he's playing silly games like this.
"He insisted on you calling him by his real name when you delivered the message?" Pyrrha blinked in confusion and earned a nod from the nature spirit. "Why?"
"To tell me that this is about godly family business. Namely about the House of Hades." Alkaid explained to her lover. Turning to the satyr, she offered him a small smile. "Thank you. I will pick it up in the Big House."
The satyr shook his head, "Actually, Lord Dionysus insisted I hand it to you as soon as you got here."
"What's the rush?" Pyrrha asked with a frown.
The poor satyr just gave a helpless shrug as he pulled the letter out of his satchel bag and handed it over to the brunette.
"It's from Su." Alkaid noted as she received the letter and shooed the satyr off with another kind smile.
"From Hogwarts? What's she got to do with the House of Hades."
Alkaid just shook her head, she didn't know either. Something that she wished remained true as she finished reading the letter.
"She's just given birth to a baby girl." The daughter of Hades said with a groan.
"Okay~. Good for her. Still not seeing the link."
"She's asking for a way to contact Melinoe."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh." Alkaid noted with an almost disappointed sigh. "It looks like I've just become an auntie."
"Did she outright say it was Melinoe's? Maybe it was a mistake?"
"I don't believe so. Unless Su sleeps around. She doesn't seem the type though." Alkaid knitted her brow in thought. "Whatever the case, there's only one way to find out for sure."
"London?"
The brunette just nodded, before letting out a frustrated groan. "And we just got back."
As the couple stepped into Su Li's small London apartment, all hope that it was a mistake evaporated. The moment they set eyes on the baby girl in their old schoolmate's arms, they knew that Melinoe was her father.
"She has Mel's eyes. And hair. Wow I forget how powerful godly genes are." Alkaid noted absently as she stared in wide eyed shock at her newborn niece. She looked like a miniature copy of the goddess of ghosts, down to the ethereal bluish looking skin.
"Godly?" Su giggled. "I know you and your sister are beautiful, Alkaid, but you're hardly goddesses."
"No. Su you must understand. Oh gods, how do I even begin? Pyrrha. Say things now."
Pyrrha shook her head at the mental blue screen of death Alkaid was suffering at seeing proof of her Sister's procreative abilities and picked up the slack. Grudgingly.
"Urgh! Fine. So, Su, first things first, the gods are real-"
Alkaid tuned out the rest of Pyrrha's explanation, instead pulling out her phone and dialing her sister.
As the call connected, loud music could be heard in the background as a voice shouted a greeting, "Hello~~! Sup, baby sis?"
"Melinoe. You come to me right now or I'm telling Father about that incident when I was eight."
"What? Whoo! Hey, we agreed to never talk about that!"
"It doesn't matter. Unless you get here now, I'm telling."
"Fuck, fine fine. What?" Melinoe said as she walked out of a shadow. She was in a stringy tanktop, cropped shorts and also covered in glitter.
"Mel!?" Su gasped in shock at the sight of her lover.
The goddess turned to Su, "Hey girl, how you doin'?"
"I'm, um, doing well." The Chinese girl said hesitantly, presenting their daughter to the girl's father. "And so is Xiao Jiao."
Melinoe just froze in shock at seeing her child who was looking at her with a searching look before seeming satisfied with what she'd seen and closed her eyes for a nap.
"Mel. I'm an auntie." Alkaid pointed to the child in Su's arms.
"...Shit. I didn't think I blew her mind that hard. I mean, I know I did, but still!"
"Mel! Really?" Alkaid scolded. "You fathered a child and you didn't even notice?"
"What? I was feeling Hermdite."
"Hold up, she can do that?" Pyrrha said looking at Alkaid in stunned amazement.
"Yes," Alkaid and Su said at the same time. Alkaid with a groan and Su with a blissful smile of remembrance.
Pyrrha turned a little green at the idea.
"I'd offer to give one to Al here, but I didn't want her to knock you up Miss Piggy."
The look of disgust on Pyrrha's face faded, she still looked uncomfortable but there was also a hint of longing there now.
"I, um, might actually like that. Having a kid I mean."
Alkaid startled at that and shot her lover a look of pure surprise.
Melinoe cursed and palmed her face, "Shit, I just gave her that idea."
"Um, hello?" Su asked quietly and the three women turned to her.
"Sorry Suzy-Babe," Melinoe said sounding genuinely apologetic. "It's just the shock I guess. Falling back to old patterns and all."
"I-Is what Pyrrha said true? Are you a goddess?"
"Yup, Melinoe, goddess of ghosts. Daughter of Hades." The oldest princess of the Underworld announced herself with pride. "Can I hold Jiao?"
Su nodded and handed their daughter over. "Be careful with her head-"
She began instructing Melinoe on how to properly hold a baby but the goddess cut her off. "No worries. I carried Al here when she was a tiny thing. Hell, Jiao looks a lot like she did. Going to be a hot little thing for sure."
"Of course she will." Su said with a smile. "You'll be around to keep all the unworthy suitors away, right?"
"Uh, not really." Melinoe said, her voice strained. "I can visit once in a while, but no more than that."
"What do you mean?"
Alkaid placed a hand on Su's arm, "Mel will explain everything to you." She looked at her sister sternly, "To the last detail. If you need anything Su, send me a letter."
"Or I.M. either of us." Pyrrha added.
"What?"
"Again, Mel will explain." Alkaid told her reassuringly. "For now, I think Pyrrha and I will leave. Give you two and Jiao some space."
Already ideas for toys for her niece flooded her head. Looks like she had to do more shopping. Before that though, there was something she needed to ask Pyrrha. Something important.
The couple were walking the streets of London, their minds going over what had transpired in Su's apartement.
"Py, were you being honest about what you said about having kids?" Alkaid asked hesitantly.
Pyrrha's face matched the color of her hair.
"I mean, I really like you Kaidy. Like legit."
"Really?" The daughter of Hades asked hopefully.
The sorcercess hadn't put much thought into having children, but now that the matter had been raised. It was like a seed had had been planted and was now tentatively germinating. She wouldn't mind children. In fact she wanted children. More importantly, she wanted Pyrrha's!
"Yeah," Pyrrha told her, the blush on her face growing even more incandescent. "Not now, of course, you have school and there's a war brewing. But sometime in the future, yeah, I'd like it if we had kids."
Alkaid's only response was to jump Pyrrha and pull her into a loving kiss. Pyrrha faltered a step from the surprise jump but recovered quickly and held onto her tightly as they kissed.
The lovebirds were so distracted by their kissing that they completely failed to notice the unnatural fog bank that steadily filled up the streets around them and how they steadily emptied of any and all mortals.
They were finally pulled from their passion by the voice of a little girl.
"Are you my mummy?"
Jumping apart the two demigods turned to see a pretty silver haired little girl in a black summer dress, dark red tights and a pair of mary janes. She would have looked utterly adorable if only she wasn't also holding a butcher knife in her left hand while her right clutched a scalpel that dripped blood.
Looking at the girls with a hopeful expression, she repeated her question. "Are either of you my mummy?"
Pyrrha opened her mouth to reply, but Alkaid put up a hand to stop her and stepped forward instead. She didn't know if her lover had managed to pick up on it but this girl radiated power. It felt different in some ways to anything she'd ever encountered, but similar in some very important ways too.
This girl was a goddess.
"My Lady, are you alright?" She asked, squashing her anxiety with the help of years of practice even as she felt death radiating from this girl. "You seem rather confused."
The silver haired girl cocked her head to the side with a frown, "Mummy wouldn't ask a silly question like that."
The strange goddess turned to Pyrrha then and asked, "Are you my mummy?"
Alkaid could see the redhead already mouthing a negative reply so she quickly stepped on her lover's foot. It probably wasn't a good idea to upset what was increasingly looking like a deluded goddess.
The daughter of Ares shot Alkaid an annoyed look in reply out of the corner of her eye even as replied in an uncharacteristically polite tone, "Do you need assistance, My Lady?"
The goddess pouted and stomped her foot. The pavement spider cracking and crumbling from the childish action.
"I want my mummy!" The girl whined as the fog engulfed her and she disappeared from sight.
"Kaidy, what's going on here?" Pyrrha hissed as her eyes scanned the thickening fog.
"I'm not entirely sure." Alkaid replied, as she scanned the fog cautiously. "But I believe she might be a former mortal that doesn't know that she has become a god, that might explain her behavior. Either that or she's insane. Maybe both."
"Is that even possible?" Pyrrha hissed, as shadows began darting through the mist.
"If the transformation was too sudden, she might not have noticed. Especially if she wasn't in her right mind at the time." The daughter of Hades hypothesized.
"How did she even become a god to begin with?"
"I don't- Get down!" Alkaid shouted as she threw herself to the ground to avoid a shadow that burst from the fog in an blur of speed that she could barely follow.
Pyrrha however chose to hold her ground instead and summoned her labrys to deflect a blow from the girl's butcher knife. The force of the deflection sent the girl flying but she recovered with a graceful mid air flip and landed effortlessly back on the ground.
"Are you my mummy?" The girl asked once more, hope seemingly oozing out of every word.
The daughter of war's reply was to raise Miló and send a tongue of flame at her. The girl easily evaded getting cooked alive however by bouncing off the ground and leaping back into the fog, a demented giggle trailing after her as she disappeared from view.
"This is fun! Mummy is playing with me!" The goddess' voice echoed from all around them, even as Alkaid jumped back to her feet.
"Pyrrha!" The sorceress cried out in alarm and dashed towards her girlfriend. If they were seperated, the goddess would pick them off even faster.
The daughter of Hades hadn't moved ten feet before several knives sank into the ground before her. She faltered in her steps and jerked back instinctively as the girl materialized in front of her. She found herself looking directly into the yellowish-green eyes of the girl. They were glittering with excitement.
"Tag~! Mummy, you're it!" The girl said before sprinting back into the cover of the fog.
Heart pounding in her ribcage, Alkaid wanted to say something, anything that could possibly calm the girl down. All that she managed was a haggard cough. Covering her mouth, the brunette looked down at her hand and noted red speckles covering her palm.
Shit! This fog, is it a curse? Poisonous? Alkaid quickly covered her head with the Bubble-Head Charm. She looked around for Pyrrha but already the dense fog obscured her sight.
"Mummy, what's that over you head? It's funny." The demented child asked with genuine curiosity and amusement as she skipped out of the fog right in front of Alkaid.
The sorceress flinched at her sudden appearance and tried to formulate a reply, but the goddess continued before she could even begin thinking. "Are we playing bubbles? I love playing bubbles! It's so much fun when they go pop!"
Gleefully the goddess spun around and as she turned back to face Alkaid threw her scalpel at the protective bubble around her face, bursting it easily.
The daughter of Hades tensed, ready for whatever follow up attack from the goddess but instead of doing so the girl giggled with delight and stepped back into the fog.
Alkaid breathed a sigh of relief for the respite and immediately began coughing from whatever poisonous effect the mist was laced with. She was tempted to use another Bubble-Head Charm, but thought better of it. She didn't want to risk another attack from the insane goddess for 'playing bubbles.'
I'll just have to tough it out. Alkaid reasoned. Use some healing spells whenever things get too rough.
"Pyrrha!" She called out with worry as her body shook with pain. Pushing through the fog, Alkaid used the Point Me Charm to locate her lover. Moving through the dense fog, her charm pointed wildly as if it was confused.
Now it's interfering with my magic too? What can't this damn fog do!? Alkaid thought in growing frustration.
"Mummy, let's keep having fun!" The deranged girl giggled as she landed on Alkaid's back. The tall woman faltered from the impact and landed face first onto the ground. Before she could so much as react, pain shot through her body as the goddess effortlessly cut through her defenses and stabbed her half a dozen times through the ribs.
Just as suddenly as the attack began, it ended and while still giggling childishly her assailant vanished back into the fog.
The pain was jarring and spots began to fill her vision.
"Incantare: Tiber Benedictiones!" Alkaid invoked desperately as blood began to trickle down from her lips. The Roman healing spell quickly did its work and repaired the damage from the multiple stab wounds. Most of it at least. It had done enough to let her move with only minor pain and that was good enough for now, but not for the first time she cursed her own lack of affinity for healing spells.
Staggering to her feet, the daughter of the Silent One looked around her. Shadows writhed at her feet like tendrils as her panic rose at each giggle that filled the air.
"Pyrrha!" She shouted, sound wasn't dampened by whatever magic was part of the fog.
It was muffled, Alkaid had to strain her ears but she heard a faint noise that sounded like a reply.
The child of Hades ran towards it as she called on every ounce of strength her body had. She had to get to Pyrrha. As if to spite her determination, the fog grew denser the further she ran into it making it seem like she was making no progress whatsoever.
"Ah!" Pyrrha screamed as she landed in front of her in a bleeding heap. The daughter of Ares was covered in stab wounds and lacerations. Her blood was spreading all over the ground around as she violently coughed out more of the sanguine liquid.
Alkaid ran to her with a shout of her name, but pulled up short as the little girl appeared in front of her with a sweet smile on her face.
"Mummy, do you like to dance? I like to dance. Let's dance!" The insane goddess ranted as suddenly a storm of knives flew at the two demigoddesses from every direction.
Alkaid reacted as fast as she could. Calling on the shadows, tendrils of darkness came alive and whipped wildly in the air in an attempt to shield or bat away the dozens of projectiles. They proved useless however as the knives flew through them like they weren't even there.
Within the blink of an eye, Alkaid was forced to her knees as the storm of blades cut her in what felt like a hundred different places. She was on the verge of collapse and it was only her stubborn will to live that was keeping her going. She suspected Pyrrha was much the same. That and what she was starting to suspect that the goddess completely lacked the desire to kill them.
Considering all she'd done so far, it was almost certainly well within her ability to kill them outright. Instead, she seemed to just be playing with them. If she were any other god that Alkaid knew, she'd have chalked this up a sadistic desire to toy with their victims. However, in this case the daughter of Hades strongly suspected the girl genuinely thought they were playing a game. That and she was pretty sure the girl was still waiting on them to answer the question that seemed to be her raison d'être.
"Are you my mummy?" The girl asked for the umpteenth time with wistful hope.
"Dark Blessing: Black Cleansing." Alkaid croaked out desperately. Darkness flooded into her veins and healed her. She had a plan, but she needed to not be dying to pull it off.
"Yes!" Alkaid shouted with as much confidence as she could muster.
"Really?" The goddess asks skeptically.
"Yes, I'll even swear it on the Styx!" Alkaid swore as earnestly as only one who is desperate to save their own life could, even as the sky rumbled with the magical thunder of a divinely sealed Oath.
"Sticks? What's that?" The girl said, as she tilted her head in innocent confusion. "Like pick up sticks?"
Well, at least that means I know there's no way she's Greek or Roman.
"It's a river."
"Like the Thames?"
"Bigger." Alkaid stated, before a gurgling sound had her quickly shooting a look at Pyrrha who was trying to say something but only managing to blow bloody bubbles out of her mouth. "But could I continue explaining after healing Py- Uh! Your other mommy? She's bleeding out."
The girl gasped, "I have two mummies? Yay!"
Alkaid took that as permission. "Incantare: Tiber Benedictiones!"
In contrast to her incomplete healing when the spell had been used on herself, this time the god of the Tiber seemed to be feeling generous to her or maybe it was for Pyrrha's sake, whichever was the case it worked wonders. Where in her case it only partially healed her wounds, this time it restored the daughter of Ares back to perfect health.
Once it did however, the crazy goddess pounced on the redhead. "Are you my mummy?"
Pyrrha looked frantically towards Alkaid, who just nodded tightly.
"Y-Yeah. Sure, I'm your mom."
Alkaid nudged her and hissed under her breath. "Oath?"
Pyrrha frowned but at the insistent glare Alkaid sent her and the nod to the confused but expectant look from the goddess, she just sighed and added. "So I swear on the Styx."
Again mystical thunder echoed through the heavens, and caused the goddess to cheer.
"Yay! I have mummies!" She cried out with joy as she bounced up and down, looking at them in excitement. She soon gasped however, covering her mouth, "Oh no, mummies are hurt! A-Am I a bad girl? I didn't mean to mummies!"
Her large eyes grew teary at what she had done to the pair. Her mood flipping faster than a switch.
Alkaid froze, the look in the girl's eyes touched her in an odd way that she'd never felt before. Sure, the crazy girl that was now her daughter was on the verge of killing her just a moment ago but for some reason looking at the distressed look on her face now had her wanting to pull the girl into a hug and comfort her.
Is this the power of the Oath? Or the girl's? The daughter of Hades thought as she tried to figure out the source of the sudden surge in her maternal instinct.
"Oh, for gods' sake." Pyrrha said with a groan as she pushed to her feet and pulled their daughter into a hug. "There, there, uh, sweetheart, it's okay. Mummies aren't mad with you. We promise. Right, Kaidy?"
The question snapped Alkaid out of her thoughts and she nodded earnestly.
After all considering she seems unhinged, I can't exactly blame her for her behavior.
"That's right. We don't blame you at all." The daughter of Hades said with a comforting smile.
The fog slowly began to part and it was suddenly easier to breathe. As they somewhat awkwardly comforted their new child, questions on just who this goddess was sprang into Alkaid's mind.
"Alkaid!" Melinoe shouted as she teleported in. She was dressed in translucent ghost-like Greek armor and surrounded by an aura that breathed deadly menace. The goddess of ghosts surveyed the scene in an instant and her eyes narrowed on Alkaid's new daughter.
"Jack the Ripper!" She hissed. "Step away from that insane little bitch, Kaidy! She's dangerous."
Well, at least now I know who my little girl is. Alkaid thought with resignation. She just happens to be the goddess of serial killers!
Not letting any of her inner turmoil show, Alkaid held up her hand to her sister before she could attempt to butcher her new daughter.
"Melinoe, calm down!"
"Look at you! How am I supposed to be calm?!"
The girl whimpered as she pressed her face against Pyrrha's body in an attempt to hide herself.
"She's our daughter now. Don't harm her, alright?" Alkaid pleaded to Melinoe. She knew her sister was very protective of her, but if she snapped at the young goddess, she feared for her and Pyrrha being caught in the crossfire.
The ghost goddess ground her teeth, agonized souls leaking out of her armor as her anger mounted.
"Daughter!?"
"Yeah," Pyrrha agreed as she stroked their daughter's silver hair tenderly." We both swore on the Styx."
"...You're going to explain this to Dad. Us Kaidy! You're going to be in so much trouble."
"We're alive. That's all that matters." Alkaid said with a shrug, feeling utterly exhausted. "I think he'll understand."
With that, Melinoe opened a shadow portal and pointed at it sternly.
"Really? Well, then I'd like to see you try." The goddess said crossing her arms over her chest and glared down on her.
The order was clear.
Too tired to complain the couple, and their new child, walked through the provided portal to return to the Underworld and the scolding that awaited.
Omake: The Birth of Smite!
Apollo was happily cruising through the skies as he did all day, everyday in the Sun Chariot and getting bored out of her mind. Despite the great privilege it was to have succeeded Helios as the sun god, it nevertheless didn't change the fact that it was one of the most boring things to do in the whole world. Except for needing to evade the odd obstacles like inconsiderate Chinese Celestial dragons and whatnot, there was absolutely nothing to do up here.
In order to fill up the time, he'd tried music, movies, T.V. shows, and any entertainment media that man and god had ever conceived. But that too had grown old after the centuries. As such, he'd taken to recording memorable events that he'd seen from on high and watching it again when all else failed.
He had just finished watching his cousin Alkaid's recent confrontations with the Zoroastrians. Even his old friend Hermes had got a chance to join in on the fun during their last visit to Mumbai. The lucky bastard. How Apollo envied him for the chance to fight another god. Few Olympian gods had the chance to do something so exhilarating in centuries.
"Hm, gods fighting gods…"
He was driving over Europe when he spotted Melinoe down in London.
"Mm, maybe we can meet up again."
He looked closer and saw that she was holding a half-blood in her arms. One that held a striking resemblance to her.
"Aw, that's nice. I should leave her alone for a while I guess."
He had plenty of booty calls to take his mind off of Melinoe. Even if she was a kinky thing.
Apollo was about to turn his attention elsewhere when a dense blanket of fog nearby caught his eye. His sky blue eyes looked harder and saw Olympus' duo of diplomats being attacked by a tiny goddess of some kind.
"Who the heck is that? Man, she's got a death wish to attack Uncle H's kid like that." Apollo noted absentmindedly. "Though those girls do seem to get into a lot of fights with gods, huh?"
Watching the fight ensue, an idea struck him.
"Hmm… Fights with gods… Fighting gods! Oh! That's a great idea!" Apollo crowed. "Alright, who to get on this? Microsoft? Nah, they have Halo. Let's try some other company. Hi-Rez is pretty fresh but they've got promise. I'll try them. Now what to call it?"
Hundreds of names flew through his mind as he dismissed all but a handful.
"Godly Rumble, Divines Divided, Smite...oh, I like that one! Alright, Smite it is."
Done and done! Thanks to the wonderful team of Nameless and Axios as always.
Whew, talk about twists and turns huh? At least Percy is more trusting of Alkaid now.
Nameless: Yup, and once you get Percy's trust you get it forever so long as you don't betray him. So now that's she's got it, we're all set for some friendly Percy and Alkaid interaction.
So Su has given birth. To Mel's child no less! Is it weird? Well, Apollo has given children to his male lovers, so I think Mel impregnating a woman isn't so unbelievable. At least given what she's been known to do~
Nameless: Considering how Athena reproduces too… And there's people like Loki who manages to have kids while locked away and enduring eternal torment. Yeah, the ways gods have children are weird. So Melinoe impregnating another woman isn't really that strange.
Alkaid and Pyrrha are now proud mothers! Of Jack the Ripper no less. Wow, she'll fit in with the House of Hades just fine, right? I guess after getting excited to have a niece, Al got so baby excited that one just came right up to her. As for those who might have missed it, Jackie here has appeared in Book One of COTU. Just wanted to make sure you all remember.
Nameless: I certainly do. Hermes will definitely not like her. Wonder which other Olympians she's managed to piss off in her time as the wandering killer of London? E4E any clue?
Nope!
Nameless: Well, let's hope her past actions don't come and bite Alkaid in the butt further down the road. Oh, who are we kidding? Of course it will. Eventually. [Evil smirk]
You know what to do, smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!