Encounter with Snow
Percy leaped from tree to tree. Why he had done this? Its simple. He was running from a group of monsters. While monsters are barely considered a threat by the son of Poseidon, he had made a challenge with himself that for today, he will fight monsters with only his barehand and Celestial energy. No powers, no weapons.
Of course, the first monsters he met was a damn Hyperborean colony. While mostly peaceful, if you jump into the middle of them, they will chase till the end of Earth. Good thing to know before it happened to you, really.
He had no desire to kill them. They were peaceful creature and unlike most monsters did not go all out of their way to have him in their stomach. So, he returned such courtesy by not killing them. Which was getting harder as they keep on their pursuit.
Thank the gods they so slow. Unfortunately, their huge size means that for every 10 steps he took, it will take them one massive step to cross the same distance. Hence, using the trees as launch pads to leave them in his dust.
Escaping them this way however is taking its toll on him. He better find a way to distance himself before he met another group of monsters. Such a thing is unlikely but his luck is not that good. He looked behind them and see that still some distance away from him.
He stopped himself, calmly balancing on the tree branch that look like it can barely support the weight of a squirrel, much less a human. Normally, it will break with his weight but he had strengthened it with Celestial energy.
He looked at the coming giants, steeling himself before spreading his arms. He moved his hands, in different direction from each other, left hand moving upward and slowly to the right, while the opposite motion was done by the right hand. He stopped his hand from moving when they were inches apart, making it looked like he was holding something.
It may look like he was crazy, but in fact he was collecting Celestial energy from his surroundings. He can collect a small amount by merely concentrating with his mind while using small motion like holding something to control it, but for what he was planning to do, he need an abundant amount of the mystical energy, and he meant it.
He focused on the energy, imagining it to turn into something to block the incoming giants. (He was pretty sure they are not that many before. Did they multiply while he was standing?!) He looked at the monsters before uttering
"Celestial Energy Technique: Wall"
He pushed his hands toward the monster, air seemingly flicker before it stopped few feet from him, forming a somewhat transparent wall. He watched without concern as the monsters charged at him … before splatting themselves to the wall.
He chuckled to himself, already expecting such outcome. The energy may look frail while manifested, but it can even hold the power of a huge avalanche, much less a group of giant charging. He believed that it can even hold against a nuclear missile.
"Well, so long!" He shouted, looking at the Hyperborean before leaping to another tree, continuing his escape, leaving a bunch of giants roaring angrily as he moved eastward, or so he believe. Unknowingly, during his escape, his intended direction was jumbled making him going northward instead of east.
Well, nothing interesting will happen right?Percy rested his back against a tree, his rucksack leaned next to him. While it was thrilling, he won't be planning doing the same thing today any other time, thank you … at least not so soon. He pretty sure he moved 50 miles in the 20 minutes he spend running from the Hyperborean, give or take.
While such speed is impossible for an adult, much less a child, Percy is not your run of the mill child. He is a demigod. A demigod can outrun and overpower even the best of mortals. Especially a child of a powerful god like Poseidon, his strength normally even greater than other demigods with the exception of children of war gods and other gods with similar power level to Poseidon.
That is normally. Apparently, Celestial energy gave him a boost. While he needed to concentrate when doing superhuman feats like lifting 3 tons boulder or outpacing a deer, he subconsciously absorbed Celestial energy on his body.
While such thing will not give him superstrength or speed, it can lessen his tiring, making him less tired while doing something strenuous. It's shown when he was running from Hyperborean, his legs slowly getting tired before it felt refreshed, the effect of Celestial energy.
He took a breather before gurgling down on nearly a half a gallon of water. Drinking that amount of water can be deadly for normal people but for the son of Poseidon. Water can even minorly replaced blood if he focused on it, not as much as iron-rich food, but still be done.
After resting for a couple of minutes, he stood up. His mind wandered as he thought of the things that happen. It had been 4 moths since he met Pan, 8 months since het Hestia and 10 months since he left the cabin, the one he lived for 2 years.
He sighed, the time passing quickly before pushing it aside. Thinking about it too much will do nothing. He had already made a safehouse or a hideout in every state in America. The one made rather sloppily in his opinion also been reconstructed, fit for human to live there.
He casually pointed at a direction, before moving there. He didn't have any plan currently, already finished with his main goal for now. Maybe he improves his Celestial energy technique, perfecting it. He should also learn how to teach, teaching Celestial energy will be hard to do, as it required user to be patience. Something hard to do for demigods with ADHD.
While curing ADHD is impossible, he knew, he still has it, he can make sure other demigods can control their ADHD. It will be hard, not impossible. After teaching the to control or at least manage it, he can teach them Celestial energy.
With Celestial energy, the survival chance of a demigod will be much higher, the mortality rate will be lower and life expectancy will be higher. He shook his head. No time for daydream. He should keep on his journey, maybe he got some extra insight on things he can do, either with his power, weapons, body and Celestial energy.
He looked at the horizon with a big smile. Nothing can go wrong today.'My mouth is a traitor that should be ripped of and burn alive.' Percy thought with contempt, ignoring the sane part of his brain, arguing that the mouth is a part of him and not alive, and the pain of doing such thing will be unbearable.
Apparently, nothing can go wrong today is a cursed statement as he soon found himself in the den of cyclops not to long after he resumed his journey. He grumbled to himself as he avoided thrown object directed at him.
(A couple of spears, rocks and other things they can throw at him, the most bizarre is an underwear. He did not know where cyclops shop for XXXXXL underwear and he never hope he ever know)
He decided enough is enough and pounced at the cyclopes. The group of 5 seems surprised, probably shocked that the demigod was stupid enough to charge at them without any weapon, they shocked face suddenly turned into horrid smile a proof of it. Their last mistake.
He avoided their thrown objects before moving to the lead cyclops, his fist clenched before he punched at its heart, the cyclops stop moving but not making any attempt to block the attack, probably thinking it will do nothing. His last mistake.
The cyclops looked at the demigod before feeling pain on his chest. He looked at his chest to see a hand passing through his body, the hand retracting, leaving a hole in the cyclops. The cyclops could only let out a short scream before turning into dust.
The rest of the cyclopes looked at the demigod in fear, the cyclops that just die is the strongest, well, was the strongest. They hesitate on their action before they decided to do their best tactic. Charge.
Percy looked at them with contempt. His right hand flattened, before it glowed, the light flickering before the remaining light shaped into a blade. The technique he dubbed as Celestial Energy Technique: Energy Blade was a hard one to master, he couldn't even form it with his left hand yet.
He charged at the fastest cyclops, performing a slash at the midsection while avoiding a blow by a club before moving on. The cyclops seemed surprised before every part above his stomach fell, leaving a still standing lower body before that to fall.
Percy retreated, the monsters to close for comfort. He steadied himself before, before clenching his fist above his head, before swinging them downward.
"Celestial Energy Technique: Falling Weight"
He shouted, the air above two charging cyclopes flickered, before an object made out of light fell down on the two back, causing them to fell flat on their face. With his opponent immobilized, he moved quickly, launching two punches enhanced with Celestial energy at the cyclopes head, exploding it.
The last cyclops, looked at the remains of its brethren, before in action that is either brave or stupid, charged at the kneeling demigod. Percy looking at the front, his face impassive, merely uttered
"Celestial Energy Technique: Energy Slash"
A wave of light moved toward the cyclops, seemingly passing it. The cyclops ignoring the light foolishly, as the light is the reason his brethren to fall, charged only for the demigod to avoid the clumsy attack and tripped it.
This resulted in the upper part of the cyclops to fly, monster body still following the law of physic, while the lower part fell at a much closer distance. Percy looked at the bodies strewn around with annoyance, when suddenly he felt something in the air.
He turned his head around so fast he almost had a whiplash, but found nothing. He moved his gaze upward until he reached a particular spot. He kept his glare there, but not finding anything, looked elsewhere. He knew he sensed something, he just unsure of what is it. He should move on first.
Unbeknownst to the demigod, the spot where he laid his eyes the longest shimmer before a beautiful woman with black hair and snow-white skin appeared. She floated there, before slowly flew downward toward where the demigod had been.
She looked at the direction the son of Poseidon gone to before pursing her lips. She then turned her attention towards the slowly turned to dust bodies before looking back at the path he took.
"You are one strong demigod aren't you. To kill this group of cyclopes easily, you one special one, especially without any weapons or power. I wonder what is your true strength," she talked to herself before letting out a small giggle, it sounding like the fluttering wind during winter.
"Well, it should be fun watching you,""Where did so many monsters come from?! Its not like I'm in Alaska or Mount Tam or something!" Percy complained, using Energy Blade to slaughter the next horde of monsters without breaking a sweat.
He looked at the huge hoard before jumping upward. As he climbed up the air, he gathered huge amount of Celestial energy, in preparation to launch a powerful technique. He concentrated on the vast amount of energy in between his hands before launching it at the hoard.
"Celestial Energy Technique: Torrent Slash" he yelled, glowing slashes appeared and shred and dice the oncoming monsters, causing them to burst into dust from the amount of attack. He hit the ground on his feet with a big 'thud' that crack the earth.
Percy breathed heavily, the continuous fighting taking a toll on him. While he can continue fighting, it got tiring after the fourth monster groups. Now he's on the seventh group. How did so many monsters found him?
He already concealed his smell and presence from the monster, the aura of son of Poseidon not even leaking out. He wondered what caused the monsters to home on him like missiles. What could make them do it?
He questioned how the monsters could smell him when a thought struck him. That or some of the projectiles thrown by one of the monsters left the feelings. He couldn't know for sure. He used Celestial energy to provide some protection on some of his most vulnerable body parts but enough force could break it. It's not infallible after all.
He remembered the feeling he felt earlier. The presence from before could be the reason that monsters coming after him. As for the reason the being does that, he's not sure of any particular reason except for seeing him fighting monsters as entertainment.
He focused his sensing abilities, using all he got, from vapour and water sense, aerosense, electrosense, seismic sense and Celestial energy sense. In times, he could use pyrosense and phytosense, but for now, he made due.
He expanded all of his senses to the limit before finally something 'ping' in his detection radar. He turned his head around, seemingly trying to search for something when he in fact focused on locating the being.
He finally found it, somewhere up on the tree branches left to him. He focused on the being before he detected something he feared, divine aura. He retracted all his senses, not wishing for the god or goddess to know he already found them.
He steadied his breathing, calming his mind. While sensing the divine being, he was certain of one thing, they not malicious. He was certain that they could kill him when he turned his back on them. While the monsters were troublesome, its not much of a challenge for him to kill them without weapon. Using his weapons and powers are overkill to the max.
Besides, now that he thought about it, some of the monsters seem sluggish, like they just woken up from a nap. He certain now that the mysterious divine being was helping him, insignificant as it is.
However, he will not put this behind him. The waves of monster already broke his thin patience, especially now that he knew someone was behind it. He will confront the being and give them a piece of his mind.
The only problem is he didn't know how to do that. He needed to corner them and made them wish to talk or they can just disappear before his very eyes, either by teleporting or turned to their element. His best bet is to confront them when he almost done with the monsters, leaving few behind to make sure the being won't leave in the thought of thinking he will finish the monsters first. Not a perfect plan but it had to do.
Now, time to meet a god/goddess.The plan was slowly coming together, he almost finished the eight horde. With about 4 monsters remaining, all of them afraid of moving closer, he decided to move closer to the perpetrator. With his seeming 'retreat', the monster became emboldened and charged at him.
Capitalising on their actions, he jumped toward the divine being, his senses already unleashed to the max to located the elusive being. As he was in the air, he turned his head and performed an Energy Slash, killing the remaining monsters, before correcting his trajectory and landed in front of the divine being.
He looked like he was staring at an empty space, but he knew better. The being was standing, or more accurately, floating in front of him. Some time passes as the two seemed to be in an impasse. To break the awkward atmosphere, Percy decided to do the best thing to shatter it; being absolutely blunt.
"You know, if you want someone to notice you, you can just call them or appear in front of them. Sending monsters to them does not work," Percy's word seemed to physically shock the being, causing them to materialize in front of him.
"I was not trying to get your attention demigod. I was trying to make you use your weapon or at least make you struggle fighting the monsters," the goddess retorted, huffing a bit from his words (He sure it was a goddess. The beautiful face, long hair and feminine body tick all the box of being a goddess)
"Well, if you want me to use my weapons, wait another day. Or send some stronger monsters. The weak ones are barely challenging. I got more challenges shopping than fighting them." he growled back, not intending in losing toward the goddess, in whatever game in his mind.
"In that case, I will get a bunch of Laistrygonian giants then. Or if you find fighting weak monsters tedious, I send an army of them to you, so you will be annoyed to death," she threatened the son of Poseidon.
Knowing that he was losing, Percy decided to cut his lose and back off before the goddess carried on her threats
"Alright. You just find me entertaining. That's all. But that doesn't mean that you get to stalk me like a creep." Percy's word seemed to pacify the goddess until she heard the word stalk. Then, the word creep was said and the goddess erupt in rage.
"I will turn you into ice statue. Then I will break you to pieces. No, that is to kind. I turned you into ice statue then thaw you except for your hand. I shatter your hand, and repeat the process with your other limb. Then I will be satisfied," she yelled in outrage, while spewing ways to torture him, her voice sounded like a blizzard.
Percy gulped loudly from the threats. He then said things that sealed the nail in the coffin.
"Well, just my luck. Look like I just piss off a crazy goddess." If looks could kill, Percy's remains cannot even fill a wedding ring's box.
"My name is Khione, the goddess of snow. The last name you will ever hear," she said coldly. The goddess smiled, which looked enchanting If not for the terrifying aura she let out. She said,
"Let's have a nice little snow fight, shall we?"